


What Was Lost Can Be Found

by distantspace



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Cliche, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, M/M, Past Murder, Possibly OOC, Resurrection, Romance, based off a tumblr post, identity crisis, memory loss/alteration, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-10-02 11:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17263640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distantspace/pseuds/distantspace
Summary: Long ago, during the midst of the Great War, a bright spark was broken and extinguished, leaving the Decepticons reeling after the tragic loss of their beloved co-leader, Orion Pax. Thousands of stellar cycles later, Megatron is still grieving, tired, and stuck on a retched organic planet, trying to destroy the Autobots who took away everything that he cared about. Or so he thought.Still fueled by the need to make up for the tragedy that befell his close comrade, Soundwave decides to take matters into his own servos and take down Optimus Prime and his Earth-bound team, until, however, he makes a startling discovery that could light the fire back under the Decepticons and reignite their cause.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy this is a little project of mine that I've been trying to work on for a little bit  
> Based off of https://fangirlingpuggle.tumblr.com/post/175694083729/so-heres-a-megaop-tfa-au-that-involves-orion-pax
> 
> So, the beginning events of Human Error basically take place except Megatron hasn’t completed his space bridge yet or captured Bulk and Sumdac. Blurr is still alive, Megatron is still on Earth, Black Arachnia is probably there somewhere.
> 
> i love TFA a lot and TFA OP is my fave OP

_Orion hummed as he reached up to the top of a shelf. Grabbing the correct datapad, he stacked it on top of the already sizable tower in this other servo. Currently, he busied himself with the task of shuffling through the information gathered by Shockwave during the latest battle with the Autobots. His processor wandered to past reports and battles: location, duration, ground force numbers, tactics used, and so forth. Ever the optimist, he believed this info held the key to bring them one step closer to the signing of a peace treaty, allowing the Decepticons to return to Cybertron as equals._

_While this war raged on, long and tiring, he knew there was no place he’d rather be than by his beloved’s side, along with his ragtag family, fighting for what is just._

_However, he knew there must be an end, and he would work hard to do his part. Even if it included seemingly meager things such as data consolidation._

_Lightly tapping his ped to the beat flowing through the intelligence sector of the ship, Orion gave a wink to Soundwave, who was standing at his console with a soft tune that he picked up from distant radio waves pumping through his speakers. Grasping his tower of datapads, he shuffled his way over to a nearby desk to begin his task. Activating and signing into his own console, he began entering the latest numbers into the computer while mentally filing away important sections in his processor._

_Hm. Less than 200 Autobot troops reported, less than half the usual number. That meant the Autobot forces were tiring or they were planning something that needed a lot of bot-power. That was something to mention during the next tactical meeting._

_Filing that point away for later, Orion continued his work, cycles passing by as he focused._

_Soundwave kept playing, Orion kept humming, and various Decepticons entered or passed by the intelligence sector but left everybot inside to their work._

_With the thought of battle currently far away in everybot’s processor, the atmosphere was content and everything was right in the universe._

_As the day cycle grew into the night cycle on the secluded planet the ship was orbiting, Orion finished up his task, sending his reports up the chain of Decepticon command. He stretched his arm struts above his helm and ex-vented. He leaned back in his seat and glanced toward his console again. A rough draft file of a future peace treaty glowed at him from the corner of the screen: his most important assignment to date. He vented once more._

_‘Soon,’ he thought. ‘This has to end soon. For everybot’s sake.’_

_But he knew there was a true purpose behind this war. It was a necessary sacrifice, one that would finally allow warframes and civilian frames to live together. No casts. No functionism. A Cybertron, where anybot can choose who they want to become, was in the making._

_It was necessary._

_He was brought out of his musings by the door to the intelligence sector hissing open. Soundwave didn’t even turn his helm, the music never stopping._

_“Ah, I knew I’d still find you here, lovely one.” The deep, rumbling voice carried throughout the room. The tall gray frame approached where Orion was seated, to where Orion glanced up and smiled,_

_“Leader or not, I am still an archivist, through and through.”_

_“Yes, of course, and it is one of the many, many things I adore about you,” the visitor spoke tenderly._

_Despite stellar cycles being bonded to this mech, Orion felt heat bloom beneath his cheek plates as he glanced away, “Oh, Megatron...”_

_Megatron just chuckled, leaned down over the desk, and gave his bonded a kiss on the forehelm. “I’ve received your reports for the solar cycle. Thank you. I think it is time to fuel up and retire for the night, however. I know how you tend to work yourself past a healthy time, beloved,” he said with a knowing smirk._

_Orion glanced back to the file icon on his console. He ex-vented a third time._

_“I know, but there is still so much I can do. I may not be able to go into battle along side you, but at least I am useful here.”_

_“Do not sell yourself short, Orion. Without you beside me, on this ship and in spirit on the battlefield, I would never have been able to lead our Decepticons this far into fighting for what is right.” Megatron strode around to the other side of the desk and rested his servos on his bonded’s shoulder struts, taking a glance at the screen, the file icon._

_“Soon, my beloved,” he whispered. “Soon we will have peace and equality. It has been a hard-fought battle, and, even after the fighting is done, there will still be more to fight for, however, not with swords or blasters, but with our voices. Your voice.” He chuckled. “You have always been more patient and eloquent than I.”_

_Orion reached his servo across his chassis to grasp Megatron’s servo on his opposite shoulder. Glancing at his bonded in the reflection of the console, then turning his helm to meet Megatron’s gaze, he smiled._

_“I don’t know. That sounded very mellifluous to my audials.”_

_Megatron gave a warm, rumbling laugh and planted an equally warm kiss on Orion’s derma, then rested their forehelms together once again._

_“I will love you for all eternity, my Orion.”_

_“To the ends of the universe, my Mega.”_

_Noticed by neither while consumed in their own bubble of peace, Soundwave still stood at his console, sifting through the usual radio chatter and surveillance footage, a small smile hidden beneath his faceplate while listening to the muffled laughter from the other end of the room._

_This._

_This was worth fighting for._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

That was his last memory of Orion. Cycles after the co-leaders retired to their berth chamber, Soundwave remembers receiving a distress signal from one of their bases on-planet. 

An overwhelming number of Autobot forces had overtaken the facility, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. 

The base served as a place to house a majority of the Decepticon medical staff to treat patients and bots who couldn’t or didn’t want to fight, civilians who had fled the Autobot-occupied Cybertron. 

Soundwave remembered signaling the alarm and strutting down the maze of corridors to meet the best of the Decepticon forces on the bridge. In no time he, Shockwave, Starscream, Megatron, and their finest warriors were planet-side. 

And what a mistake that had been. 

‘Soundwave: made mistake,’ he thought. ‘Error: failed to see blatant trap.’ Staring at the console in front of him, the spark signature of a certain red and blue Prime reflected in his optics. 

He turned his gaze to Optimus laying on one of five reprogramming slabs, surrounded by his Autobot team.

“Soundwave: is sorry, Orion Pax,” he said, his staticky vocalizer layered with grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first published work if you couldn't tell so sorry if it's bad lol


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since SW is who discovers my boy OP, the beginning of this story is basically centered around him for the moment
> 
> this is unbetad by the way

At first, Soundwave didn’t believe his optics. 

It was a simple mission: reprogram the Prime and his team to obey the Decepticon cause, to finally bring about the end of those retched Autobots. 

———————

_While connecting each bot laid out on the slabs to spark support to monitor their vitals, their spark readings popped up on the active console across the room._

_After confirming that each bot was stable, Soundwave strode over to the monitor to begin his the virtual simulation. Sparing the long string of spark codes a glance, one specifically caught his eye._

_Oddly familiar._

_He turned his helm to the unconscious Prime and back to his corresponding spark code. Walking back over to the slab, he removed the cables, ran a diagnostic and confirmed that they were fully functional. Cleaning the sensors, he reattached the cables to the Prime and turned back toward the monitor, his spark read-out the same._

_He thought it was just sentiment, festering beneath the grief that he refused to show and emotional sub-routes that he refused to activate, even this long after the tragedy._

_That, or he had a major processor glitch._

_He shook himself out of his musing and was about to return to his work when he paused and glanced once more at the spark signature glaring him in the faceplate._

_A nagging thought of ‘what if’ had him thinking about the past. The unwanted and unnatural feelings flooding his processor had him jumping into action. He had to find out the truth, and he knew just the mech to contact._

_Turning to an adjacent console, he entered a vid-code that he hadn’t called in stellar cycles. After a moment, a smooth voice spoke over the feed._

_“Soundwave? What is the meaning of this call? You could compromise my position!” Shockwave hissed over the line._

_Ever blunt and to the point, he explained himself, trying to keep his usual stoicism to mask his confusion. “Soundwave: made discovery. Requires: input, confirmation...and help.” He failed._

_Immediately confused by his old friend’s plea for assistance, Shockwave, currently configured into his Longarm persona, leaned forward toward the screen, drawing his brow ridges together. “Soundwave...you seem distressed. What has occurred?”_

_“Soundwave: sending file via com-link. Confirm identity.”_

_Moments later, Shockwave received a ping and opened the package on his HUD, taking a moment to read the file._

_Recoiling slightly from the vid-feed, he began to stutter, an edge to his vocalizer. “If you’ve suddenly decided to develop a sense of humor after thousands of stellar cycles, this is not the time nor is it tasteful-!“_

_“Spark signature: that of Optimus Prime. Soundwave: recorded multiple read-outs. Shockwave’s reaction: confirms suspicion.”_

_“Impossible!” He was growing more distressed at the sudden topic of their long-offlined friend and what Soundwave was implying. “How did you even manage to obtain the spark signature of the Prime?”_

_Without a word, Soundwave moved away from the vid-feed, allowing Shockwave to see the Prime and his team lying on the slabs behind him._

_“Mission: reprogram the Prime and his team, make them loyal to Decepticon cause.  Soundwave: made distressing discovery and requires help. Soundwave: cannot accomplish this alone.”_

_Silence then rang across the vid-feed and through the chambers occupied by each bot, only the hum of machines in the background._

_“A coincidence. The Prime’s signature merely resemble that of...of Orion.” Shockwave rushed out, feeling sudden pain take over his own spark._

  _“Shockwave: finds excuse **logical**?” Soundwave practically hissed._

_They both knew Orion Pax’s spark signature code, and any other Decepticon stationed on the command ship, for that matter, like the backs of their servos. The command ship lacked proper medics, instead choosing to send them planet-side to help those in need. Routine maintenance was conducted by Soundwave and Shockwave, the only other bots who knew their way around a spark and frame without causing unnecessary damage; just enough to keep everybot in top shape._

_“...perhaps not.” He thought for a moment, thought back to that night cycle, long ago, then spoke lowly. “Tell me, do you recall, when we returned to the ship after discovering the Autobot’s ruse? Finding Orion, prying Lord Megatron from him so we could get a closer look at his frame.”_

_“Frame: destroyed, unusual spark chamber damage. Conclusion: violent decay of spark corona due to frame trauma with added brutality of Autobots.”_

_“Correct. At the time, the conclusion seemed logical. However, it seems we may have underestimated the pettiness and cruelty of the Autobots.” Shockwave began almost speaking to himself. “The scaring around the inside of his spark chamber can also indicate incredible trauma to the spark itself, such as spark-crushing or-“_

_“Complete removal of spark.” Soundwave chimed in and realization settled over them both._

_His optics widened in shock. “...Primus. Orion, his spark was-!” Shockwave was shaking in rage. However, before a curse could leave his vocalizer, he remembered himself and vented. Taking a moment after the uncharacteristic outburst, he began running calculations and plans through his helm, anything to return him to his normal state-of-processor._  

_“Soundwave, listen to me. Do you have a medical cable in your possession?” Soundwave reached a servo into his sub-space and pulled out a long diagnostic cable and a medical grade scanner, attaching the two._

_“Good. Plug into Optimus Prime’s medical port at the back of his helm. Access his memory banks and try to access as far back in his life cycle as possible.”_

_Following the instructions, Soundwave began sifting chronologically through memory file after memory file, as fast as the scanner would allow. Code rushed by on the screen of the device in his servo, nearly impossible to read. He stood there for a click before the rush of code came to a hard stop, an error flashing on the screen. Trying to bypass the block only caused more errors to flash up on the device. He ran a diagnostic scan._

_Firewalls._

_“Soundwave: encountered abundance of firewalls. Location in Memory: before onlining of Optimus Prime. Theory Confirmed: data prior to activation. Proceed with deconstruction?”_

_“No. If my suspicions are correct, attempting to manually deconstruct the firewalls will only end in more pain on Orion’s part. And he has been through enough. They were installed for a reason-” Soundwave heard a knock on the other end of the vid-feed. The door hissed open and Shockwave turned away from the screen to address the intruder._

_“Longarm Prime, sir? Agent Blurr is on the line, ready to give you this solar cycles recon report. He said he can’t reach you.”_

_“Yes, thank you Cliffjumper. Inform him that I am currently on a call and will contact him shortly.”_

_“Yes, sir.” There was a hiss as the office door slid shut._

_“Soundwave, I must go. However, I will contact you again as soon as possible.” He spoke in a hushed tone. “I will investigate what the Archives have concerning Orion’s deactivation and Optimus Prime’s onlining, however the Autobot Science Division seems to be the likely culprit. They might have codes archived to disassemble the firewalls in his memory banks.” He took a vent. “For now, contact our Lord and the other Decepticons stationed on Earth. Inform them of what has occurred, but be cautious. The Steelhaven is en route to Earth, transporting Sentinel Prime and his command. They must not find out what we have discovered.”_

_“Soundwave: understands”_

_“Good. Protect Orion, my friend. Shockwave out.” With that, the vid-feed was cut and the sound of machines buzzed through Soundwave’s audials._

_\----------_

_After running a few more diagnostics on the Primes memory banks and frame specs, the surveillance mech had gathered enough additional information to contact the Decepticon Lord._

_However, since the cycle's events left his emotional sub-routes compromised, no matter how little they were actually used, he had forgotten how stubborn and uncompromising his Lord was by nature._

_“Out of all mechs, you were the last I’d expect to try and make light of my own bonded’s murder! You’d better have an excellent explanation for your tricks before I hunt you down and disassemble you myself!”_

_So far, this conversation was not exactly what Soundwave was expecting. He stood in front of the console, visor not betraying his thoughts as he waited for the mech on the other end of the vid-feed to finish. Perhaps he should have explained the context of the situation first before outright vocalizing that Orion was alive and under the guise of Optimus Prime. After all, Megatron had never been one for patience._

 

_“How dare you try to convince me that my Orion joined forces with the Autobots! Not to mention, I held his lifeless frame in my arms, and you even confirmed him offline. And now you tell me I have been battling him for lunar cycles on this retched planet?! Starscream better not be behind this or the both of you will be offline within the next solar cycle-!”_

_Soundwave was loosing his legendary patience, himself. Time was of the essence. “Explanation: accompanied by context, if Lord Megatron wills himself to_ listen _,” he spoke low and slow. Megatron, taken aback by the surveillance bot’s unusual insubordination, grit his dentae and spoke with a hiss. “Proceed.”_

_Soundwave then began to explain in detail just what had occurred, starting at the beginning of the solar cycle. Surprisingly, the Decepticon lord never once interrupted, too busy trying to grasp the information coming out of Soundwave’s vocalizer._

_“Suspicion: confirmed by Shockwave. Prime’s Spark Signature: identical to Orion Pax. Memory banks scanned; firewalls encountered. Scan indicated terabytes of data locked behind walls. Conclusion: deliberately installed. No logical way for Prime to self-install; firewalls formed before onlining.”_

_Only after Soundwave finished did Megatron start asking questions, not quite ready to be rid of his suspicion. “How has the Autobot not discovered and dismantled these supposed firewalls by now?”_

_Soundwave’s response was immediate. “Theory: too deep in memory bank. Code written to be solid and discrete. Only discoverable through deliberate memory scan to specific time. Scans Past One’s Online Date: unneeded.”_

_“Disassemble the firewalls, then! The sooner we come to the conclusion that this is a mere coincidence, the better! I do not need old wounds to be torn open again, not when Decepticon victory is within our grasp!”_

_Ah, so that was the problem. The warlord showed his true fears through his outburst. Fear of failure; fear of sparkbreak at being incorrect in these theories, both understandable, considering the close bond he had with his beloved. Soundwave proceeded slowly, with caution._

_“Unadvisable. Deliberate installation; deliberate hiding of information. Consequences: possibly dangerous. Damage to Processor: likely. Shockwave: investigating Autobot Science Division for solution. Advice: proceed with caution, in the event Optimus Prime is Orion Pax-“_

_“But he is not!” Megatron outburst nearly caught Soundwave by surprise. The Lord was venting heavily, dentae grinding together, but sadness, that hadn’t been allowed to show through for thousands of stellar cycles, in his optics._

_“Soundwave: understands my Lord’s pain-“_

_“Do you!? Yet you seem insistent on continuing with this ruse-“_

_Soundwave interrupted, on his last neural line. “Megatron: forgets. Soundwave: lost a_ brother _. Soundwave: lost_ family _. My Lord: not only one who_ lost _something!” He took a moment to compose himself, luckily silencing his Lord with his anger. He continued softer, “Human Phrase: what is to lose by taking chance? Possible Outcome: Orion Pax...returned to us...”_

_Megatron still seemed conflicted. Something truly must have startled Soundwave enough to kick-start his long-offline emotional banks, the same ‘something’ that turned them off in the first place. The Decepticon Lord found it in himself to consider the theory for a click. Turning his helm away from the feed to hide his pained optics, he regarded the surveillance mech in a subdued tone. “I am...sorry, Soundwave. I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t just as devastated after he- after the attack. I know you blame yourself, no matter how many times I explain that it was not your fault.” He turned his helm back toward the screen. “How do you suggest we proceed, old friend?”_

_If Soundwave’s derma where exposed, he would have smiled at the warlord. “Sending location via com-link. Soundwave: will awaken the Prime. Lord Megatron: must converse with the Prime. Converse: as equals; Prime will listen.” Just then, he received a file ping from a secure Cybertronian network on the adjacent screen. Shockwave must have found something of importance. “Received more evidence; currently in review. Will brief my Lord upon arrival.”_

_“Understood. I shall depart immediately. The sooner we get to the bottom of this predicament, the better.” He still wasn’t ready to explore the idea that his long-offlined mate was back from the Well. “And Soundwave?” The mech tilted his helm back to the vid-feed in acknowledgement._

_“Thank you.”_

_The feed went dark once again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey soundwave is just as confused as you are


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments!! Y'all are sweet and have too much faith in me<3
> 
> I just wanna reiterate that tumblr user fangirlingpuggle should get all the credit for the idea!!! a link to the post in is the first chapter!

Optimus groaned as he online his optics, processor swimming. 

Huh, maybe there was something to that Processor-Over-Matter thing Prowl kept humming about. 

Squinting up at the dark ceiling of where ever he was, the Prime lied there on the uncomfortable slab for a click before he remembered his predicament, back struts straining as he rushed to sit up. 

Right, Soundwave turned them to humans, something he was more uncomfortable with than he’d like to admit, and tried to convert them to the Decepticon cause via actual sound wave technology.

Over his offlined frame.

Fumbling for his ax in his subspace, he realized that it wasn’t where it normally was in the same moment that nothing life-threatening was happening yet. He scanned the area for the mech in question, finding him at the opposite end of the room.

Even more strange was the fact that Soundwave was just _standing_ there, staring at him with his blank visor, servo on the console, a simulation deactivation code, for the slab he was currently sitting on, live on the screen. So much for that ninjabot slag. Speaking of...

Optimus forced himself to tear away from the silent staring contest and check the status of his team. Glancing toward the left and the right, he took note that, while Prowl, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Ratchet were still in stasis, they seemed unharmed. Thank Primus for that. He disliked the idea of his team getting hurt. He turned his helm back to their kidnaper. 

Soundwave still stood silently, watching. He wasn’t going on his usual monotonous rant of “Autobots: inferior. Soundwave: superior,” which was...good, to say the least. He’s been getting the “inferior” speech a lot lately. Primus knew Sentinel wasn’t going to remove that pipe out of his aft anytime soon. It was a nice change of pace, no matter how slagging confusing and out of character it was.

Optimus tried to subtly move off the slab to stand, as much as anyone could under a piercing gaze. Unfortunately, the movement seemed to snap Soundwave out of whatever trance he had been in, the surveillance mech slowly turning toward the Prime. Despite the still blank faceplate, Optimus noticed that his plating was rattling slightly. Was he shaking? 

“...uh-“ The Prime cut off the ineloquent sound he was making with his vocalizer when Soundwave took a step forward and sunk down to one knee. He bowed his helm forward in a show of submission, plating still trembling slightly.

Alright, so that was strange. The mech before him, bowing at his peds, was usually ready to offline him and his team if his plans didn’t come to fruition. 

Decepticons were slagging weird. 

Before he could attempt communication once again, to demand the release of his team in a slightly more intelligent way than before, Soundwave beat him to it, staring at the dirt covered floor of the hideout.

“Orion...Orion Pax: safe. Orion Pax: can come home...” He looked back up at Optimus. “Forgive: Soundwave? Soundwave: sorry; failed Orion; failed-“ his vocalizer cut out with a small hint of static. 

For some unknown reason, the picture of this mech, who usually showed no emotion, so torn up at his peds, the idea of him begging forgiveness to a mech he didn’t know, that name...all caused the Prime’s spark to constrict, like there wasn’t enough space in his chamber. It was like his spark was trying to tell him something, like his spark yearned for something, but the want wasn’t forming a connection with his processor. Trying to clear his confusion, Optimus clung to the only line in conversation that made sense to him.

“I don’t know who you think I am, but my designation is Optimus Prime.” He started speaking, but even his own vocalizer sounded unsure of his statement.

Slag it all! One mere trip into a virtual simulation shouldn’t have rattled his processor this much. He needed to get it together, for the sake of the bots and humans under his protection. “Soundwave, I demand you release me and my team! I’m willing to fight if you see the need to keep us here any longer.” The Prime subtly glanced around the chamber, trying to find a suitable weapon, preferably his own ax. 

The demands of the mech before him startled Soundwave out of his trance. He hadn’t engaged his emotional banks in so long that the slightest stimulation caused the sub-routes to go haywire. He got distracted by his own feelings, again. Inferior.

After a moment, the Prime’s words finally registered in his processor, and his helm snapped up in time to see Optimus slam his ped down on one end of a long, fallen pipe from the warehouse above. The other end snapped upwards and landed in the Prime’s servo. He held it up like a weapon, similar to one of those Earth games. Based Ball?

Thinking fast and not taking a moment to hesitate, Optimus pivoted on his slim hips and brought the pipe down onto the machine adjacent to the slab he had been on, effectively destroying the simulation tech. “No!” Soundwave actually screeched, one worth of Starscream’s praise.

One by one, each of the Prime’s team showed signs of emerging from stasis. Soundwave needed to work fast. He had to keep the Prime here. 

Taking note that he didn’t have much to lose, dignity or otherwise, he launched himself in front of the only exit, holding up his servos in the universal gesture for ‘stop.’ “Prime: mustn’t leave. Prime: needed here. Requires: help,” he spoke, still in his usual monotone, but slightly rushed to prevent any further lashing out.

“I will not allow you to turn my team into Decepticon sympathizers! I don’t need your ‘help’ to turn against the Autobots.” Behind him, the rest of the team was coming into awareness, and the Prime still held the pipe at the ready. Soundwave had to explain, fast.

“Experiment: terminated. Autobot Team: not in danger. Lord Megatron: must speak to Prime; matter of utmost importance. Topic: history.” Being a surveillance bot, he had done some digging on the Earth-bound Autobots, with the help of Longarm of course. The Prime had an unusual knack for memorizing history, or as much as he could that wasn’t expunged or covered up. Looking back on it, Soundwave realized that the mech before him was extremely similar to Orion in more ways than one. 

Despite the skepticism in Optimus’ glare, he saw a slight shift towards curiosity. “Why would the Decepticon Lord, who is millions of stellar cycles older than I am, want to talk history with me? Why did you take me out of stasis?” Not that he was complaining. He was starting to get extremely uncomfortable in his human persona. 

Seeing no other way to keep the Prime in one spot, his team sensing his urgency and sitting up on their slabs, the mech decided to be blunt. “Firewalls: discovered in memory banks during attempted reprogramming; installed by Autobots before onlining. Optimus Prime: not sparked from the Allspark; contains same spark of former Decepticon Second-in-Command.” 

Optimus’ optics widened with each statement that came out of Soundwave’s vocalizer. What he was describing sounded so insane that it would be easy for him to laugh it off and go back to beating the slag out of the Decepticon. He tried, but something in the back of his spark chamber ached with idea. 

Him? A Decepticon? Impossible! He had been an Autobot from the moment he onlined! And he knew that for a fact. The Autobots wouldn’t reprogram his memory! Right? These solar cycles, with the constant digging and reprimanding from the higher-ups had him doubting himself.

As if reading his thoughts, a certain yellow minibot jumped down from a slab. “Bossbot? A Decepticon? You ‘cons must be as crazy as they say!” He engaged his stingers, the other Autobots, cleared of their foggy processors, did the same, luckily, their built in weapons left attached to their frames. “Last time I checked, he’s been leading the charge of kicking you and your Decepticon buddies’ skid plates for the last couple lunar cycles!” Soundwave didn’t speak or move out of his defensive stance, determined to keep the Prime right where he was until Lord Megatron arrived.

Ratchet shuffled up to Optimus’ side, magnets out and ready to engage. “You know what this ‘con is preachin’ about, kid?” He muttered near the Primes audial. 

“Not at all,” the Prime replied, in the same hushed tone, optics forward. “All I know is he brought me out of stasis and started calling me ‘Orion Pax,’ whoever that is.” He missed the shocked look Ratchet shot his way, too busy keeping his optics locked on Soundwave. “But I do know that we’re gonna get out of here, preferable before their beloved Lord decides to show up.”

“Hold on, kid, he said what-“

“It might be a little too late for that.” The black and gold ninjabot interrupted, and the Autobots turned their gazes to the descending lift behind Soundwave. The hiss of hydraulics and grinding of gears deafened the room, and the platform landed on the basement level with a loud ‘ _ker-chunk_.’ The tall, gray Decepticon Lord, the Slag-Maker Himself, stepped off of the platform engraved with the Autobot badge.

‘Slag,’ Optimus thought, still leveled in a battle stance. His optics swiveled throughout the room to try and come up with another plan. He needed his ax. 

“Little Prime,” the warlord spoke with the conviction of someone on a mission. Optimus grit his dentae at the nickname. “I’ve come to speak with you on a matter of utmost importance.” He kept stalking forward, servos behind his back. If it weren’t for the Decepticon brand on his chest plate and fusion cannon attached to one arm, Optimus would have thought him a businessbot: posed, regal, and a complete afthead. 

His team huddled a little closer together on instinct on the account of the giant ‘con looming above them. Optimus felt like every strut and wire in his frame was coiled and ready to spring at a moments notice. His battle mask latched into place.

“What matters do we have to speak of, Depecticon?” 

“The matter concerning your supposed identity.”

“You both must have a glitch in your processor! You are mistaking me for some other bot. Both my team and I know that I would never betray the Autobot cause, much less subject myself to being the Decepticon Second! Now, I suggest you move aside!”

“And I suggest that you _listen_ , Autobot-!” He cut his vocalizer mid-snarl and remembered what Soundwave had suggested over the vid-call. ‘ _Converse: as equals; Prime will listen._ ” He glanced over to the surveillance bot, and, despite the visor, he could visualize the unimpressed ‘ _I’m waiting_ ’ look on his old friends faceplate. He took a deep vent, deciding that this needed to be sorted out, and that there was no other way. 

Shoving his pride as deep down as he could in his chassis, he removed his twin swords and placed them on the ground. He then took a knee, leveling himself to the Primes height. 

“ _What_ do you _want_ , Megatron?” Optimus never came out of his defensive stance.

Allowing himself a moment to actually gaze at Optimus Prime for practically the first time, he took in the details of his most noticeable features. The stark red and blue paint job was one of them, contrasted by a few spots of yellow. His pointed finials were pinned back in a show of defensiveness, not unlike organic felines. His soft derma were formed into a skeptical scowl and his entire chassis, from broad shoulders to slim hips, was tense and ready to strike at moments notice, reminiscent of his time in the Autobot Academy. 

If this truly was Orion Pax, the Autobots did well in making his new frame unrecognizable, but nothing could stop the spark from rearranging a frame to its desired form. He could see his lost love in the fierce and determined optics of this mech. Many of the Prime’s little features and mannerisms reminiscent of Orion, as well.

Like the slight growing impatience the Lord could sense in his well hidden EM field while he waited for an answer.

“Optimus Prime.” The use of his actual designation threw him off, especially in that calm, rumbling tone. “I have reason to believe that the Autobots are hiding something from me, specifically some _one._ I need your help in determining the truth behind this situation-“

“And why should I help you? Autobots do not sympathize with the ‘cons! Not after all you’ve done-“ A white servo landed on his shoulder from behind, making the Prime jump and cutting him off before he could anger the Slag Maker again.

“Kid...I think you need to hear him out...” Optimus was about to protest, ignore the feeling in his spark, and yell _‘What in Primus’ name are you thinking!?’_ until he turned and saw the somber look on the docbot’s faceplate. Ratchet wasn’t telling him something, they _both_ weren’t telling him something. The ache in his spark grew to the point where it stung to invent. 

“The _truth_ , Megatron. What do you want from me and my team? Why the sudden hospitality when you’ve been trying to slag us since we arrived on this planet?” 

The Decepticon Lord vented deeply again, and in the back of his processor, Optimus noted how tired the warlord looked and how he’s never seen him show any other emotions besides anger and cockiness before. The ‘con cycled his optics before speaking again, in the same somber tone that Ratchet held. 

“I have reason to believe that you are a bot named Orion Pax, a kind and caring mech killed by Autobot servos.” 

“And what connection do you have to this mech?” He needn’t ask, for he already felt he knew the answer. His spark felt like it was being crushed in a giant servo.

“He was my bonded.”

The silence after that statement rang in the Prime’s audials, unable to hear the sound of his own chassis as he collapsed onto the ground, pain unbearable in his spark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ratch is old and knows things he's not sayin and OP is about to have an identity crisis tbh
> 
> ibr i was thinking today and tfa OP would be into alt rock music


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the entirety of tfa is just OP needing a hug but never getting one.
> 
> this one is short, hacked together, and mostly dialogue rip

Optimus groaned as he onlined his optics once again. Now he understood that ‘day-ja voo’ thing the humans refer to. This time, however, he squinted up at the familiar ceiling of Ratchet’s makeshift medbay, an ache in his spark chamber and his audials fading in and out. Optics used to the darkness of the underground, he offlined them again against the harsh light. Processor still swimming with confusion, he heard muffled arguing in the background over a faint ringing that gave him a processor ache. 

“You just _had_ to say that to him didn’t you?” Ratchet’s voice was easily recognizable, his rough, mocking tone distinguishable in his haze.

“Would you rather I _lied_ , Autobot?” The second voice was familiar, smooth and baritone. “He demanded the truth, and I was willing to give it to him, which you should take note of-“ 

‘ _clang_ ’

“Talk like that to me again _slagger_ , and it’ll be more than a wrench I’ll be smackin’ ya with!”

“ _How dare you-_ “ 

“ _Enough_.” Prowl. Optimus thought that he had grown to be a good leader, willing to learn from the unknown, from past mistakes and ignorance. “First of all, we need to make sure Optimus is all right. He is our first priority, no matter what you claim, Megatron.”

“I’m fine,” Optimus muttered, trying to online his optics again. His audials started to settle, the lighting in the medbay no longer piercing. He did hear the steady beep of a spark monitor, and a cold ache settled in his frame. Whether it was from the fall or the chill outside, he couldn’t tell. He tried to sit up, struts groaning in protest.

“Woah there, hold on kid. Take it easy.” Ratchet rushed to his side and put a servo on his chassis, gently pushing him back down on the familiar medical slab. Optimus didn’t protest, and once his back struts touched the surface, he glanced around the room. Prowl was standing a little ways behind Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead leaning against the wall, both looking confused and concerned, but not saying anything. On the other side of the room, closest to the door, Soundwave stood guard, silent and imposing as ever. The Prime’s optics were drawn to Megatron, the Primus-damned Slag Maker, who stood almost as close to where he was lying as Ratchet was. Optimus squinted his optics, almost glaring at the Decepticon leader. The big bot had the sense about himself to look a little guilty as he took a small step back to give the smaller bot space. 

Resting his helm back on the slab and staring at the ceiling, the Prime vented. “Answers. I want them.” He spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone to those listening. He turned his optics to Ratchet. “ _Now_.” At least he had the sense to look guilty as well, as he began to explain.

“You collapsed after your spark almost melted the slag out of your spark chamber, kid. As you probably know, a bot’s spark is more than just a life source; it is your consciousness. Your emotions and thoughts develop in your spark and progress to your processor, where they are interpreted by your memory banks, emotional banks, sub-routes, and thought center.” The doctor took a moment to vent. “From the diagnostics I ran, your spark was apparently trying to output emotions attached to specific memory files in your banks but kept getting blocked while trying to sift through your processor. All that built-up energy, with no where else to go, overheated your systems, forcing you to shutdown and cool your frame.”

“Firewalls,” The monotone surveillance bot spoke from across the medbay. “Prime’s Spark: retains memories. Firewalls: block connection.” 

“Alright, that’s _enough_.” The Prime had the look of anguish on his faceplate, trying hard to comprehend the situation. “I’m telling you, you have the wrong mech. If you really want me to believe this farce, I’m going to need more evidence besides ‘ _I just feel it._ ’ And you,” He looked toward Megatron, who had nothing to say as of yet. “What is your intention? I get it, you lost somebot you cared about, we _all_ have. But do you know how _crazy_ that sounds? What happens if you’re wrong? You risk my team’s lives coming here, making them play along, when the Autobot command could get wind of this and _terminate_ them for treason.” His gaze turned hard and scathing. “I will _not_ risk their lives for some hunch. Not to mention, you’ve tried to destroy us on more that one occasion. We have been Autobots for all of our functioning. Why should we trust you?”

Silence. Everybot in the room turned their gaze toward the ‘con under questioning. The Prime was right. The sudden change of spark in terms of trying to offline them was sketchy at best, no matter who he thought Optimus was. Certainly, it would be no easy task to prove his theory true.

“And _you_ ,” he snapped his gaze toward Ratchet, breaking the awkward silence. “What were you _thinking_? This is your team, your _family_! We could all be on a one-way trip to the Stockades for this!”

“Yeah, I _know_ , kid. You don’t need to scold me like I’m some sparkling. I’m old enough where I know and have seen things the Autobot command would never want anybot to find out!” 

“Then  _tell_ me, Ratchet! We’re supposed to trust each other! I need to understand what’s happening...” The Prime looked ready to break down any click now, and Ratchet couldn’t take the exhausted look in his optics.

“...Alright, kid. I’ll tell ya everything. And I do trust you. I just never thought that something like this would ever happen.” The old bot vented for a moment, pulling his thoughts together. “You all know that I served in the Great War,” he said tiredly, addressing his team, the two youngest bots shuffling up to stand near Prowl and their team leader. For all their bulk and brawn, the ‘cons in the room melted into the background quietly. “Well, the ‘history’ that they shove down your intakes in the Academy isn't always true. As with most history, it is never entirely accurate, depending on who records it. However, there are some things that are purposefully expunged from the Archives, including the early Decepticon movement and their leaders.” The doctor acknowledged the two Decepticons at the other end of the room with a nod, “As they both already know, the formation of the Decepticons was originally a freedom movement against the corrupt Cybertronian government.” That statement received a few shocked looks. “The leaders of the the Decepticons were the gladiator Megatronus and an archivist named Orion Pax, who both believed in being any bot you wanted to be; a Cybertron free from functionism.” He spoke almost wistfully. “They were fighters of the good fight, protectors of innocents. Of course the Functionists despised the warframes and couldn’t stand the thought of a civilian in a high profile job seeing past their charade. So, in order to erase the embodiment of peace in the Decepticons, they used their grip on the military to conduct a mission: Terminate Orion Pax.”

This time, Megatron spoke up, addressing the docbot with a questioning glare while stepping forward. “And how do you know of this, Autobot?”

The guilt was back on Ratchet’s faceplate. “Because I was the medic they wanted to assigned to the mission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its ok its fine everythings fin e
> 
> by the way my tumblr is @sp-aceace


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay fixed all the shitty errors also pro tip: never work as a line cook if you can help it
> 
> Also this is a little bit of a mix in continuities, just so i can implement more characters and Orions back story

The ‘ _whir_ ’ of a fusion cannon coming online was almost drowned out by the growl coming out of Megatron’s vocalizer. “ _You_ did this?!” He stomped forward, cannon arm raised, ready to blast a sizable hole in Ratchet’s frame. Every Autobot in the room jumped to action, Prowl, Bee, and Bulkhead activating their weapons, the Prime wishing he still had his ax.

“Hey! Just because they _wanted_ me doesn’t mean I _accepted!_ ” Ratchet put his servos up in a placating gesture despite the glare of his optics. “In fact, I hastily declined as soon as they ask, thank you very much! Not everybot can have the luxury of starting a revolution!” 

“Well, if you were so disgusted with the Autobot command, why didn’t you join the Decepticons?” The cannon was still hot and ready to fire.

“I had bots I wanted to protect, too, ya know! I couldn’t have done so if I was kicked off Cybertron. And they didn’t start forcing me to fight until after the incident.”  His glare turned harsher, wishing he had the height to get in the Lord’s faceplate. “And after what the ‘cons became after the death of Orion Pax, I’m _glad_ I didn’t.”

Megatron snarled again, ready to take another step forward, when Optimus hastily jumped off the medical berth and staggered over in between the two bickering bots, dragging wires with him as his struts protested. He put a servo on Megatron’s chassis and pushed him back a few paces with the little strength that he had, glaring. “You need to _stand down,_ Megatron.”

“Yeah, big bot, this ain’t exactly helping your case,” the yellow bot behind Ratchet spoke, stingers ready to defend them both. The ‘con glared at Bumblebee then turned his optics to Optimus. That determined look, one that told of a mech willing to put everything on the line for those he cared about, stared back at him. 

It reminded him of Orion. 

He offlined his cannon and took a step back, silence now permeating the medbay. Ratchet finally registered the actions of his savior and grabbed Optimus by the arm, dragging him back to the slab. “Kid, what’s the matter with you? I told you to stay put.” He didn’t sound too upset, but no one mentioned the fact. 

“Sorry. I didn’t really like the idea of you getting your helm blow off,” the Prime said with a small smile on his derma, climbing slowly back onto the berth, ignoring his aches. Ratchet returned the smile, even with a slight sad look in his optics. He turned back to the warlord. 

“If it means anything to you...I tried to send a message warning your command. I didn’t know exactly what the mission entailed because I wasn’t privy to anymore info after I declined and some grease-bot took my place. I didn’t know they were going forward with it so soon, and the bot I sent got to you too late.”

Megatron’s optics widened. “ _You_ are the one who sent Deadlock? He spoke very highly of you and your skill.” 

“Heh. Is that what he’s callin’ himself now? I lost contact with him shortly after. We met just before the war started, but there is only so much an old bot like me can do now.” He crosses his arms and turned back to Optimus. “But that’s all I got, kid. Sorry, I don’t have a lot of insight into this situation.” 

The Prime gave him a tired smile. “That’s ok, Ratchet. I appreciate you telling me though.”

“Hey, don’t look so down Boss Bot!” The resident space bridge genius said from behind the group of Autobots. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, no problem. Besides, we’re still a team. We have each other!” The Prime smiled.

“Bulkhead: correct. Soundwave: has evidence to ‘get to bottom’ of ‘this.’” It was almost humorous to hear the ‘con speak without his normal precision. “Permission: connect to visual monitor?” With only a few wary looks toward the Decepticon, Optimus nodded and Ratchet moved away from the medical console. The silent bot walked over and plunged himself in, leaving his leader silent at the back of the room. He immediately pulled up the diagnostic information from the bot lying on the medical slab, and turned to him. “Firewalls: indicated here,” he said, pointing to the screen. “Chronologically: before onlining as Optimus Prime. Only possible if installed by another bot.”

“How do I know that you didn’t install them while you had me and my team knocked out and plugged into your reprogramming machine?” The Prime questioned, hiding his uneasiness about the fact that there were things hidden in his processor that he couldn’t access.

“Installed with precision of a scientist. Scientists are often prideful; leave distinguishable markings or ‘signatures.’” He brought up the code that made up the multiple firewalls.

Immediately, Ratchet cringed. “Perceptor! Ugh, that bot’s always given me the creeps. Not surprised he’d do something like this!”

“You recognize his code style?” Prowl asked.

“Yeah. Poor Omega Supreme has it running rampant through this software. I’ve been trying to clean it out and exchange it for normal functioning code for stellar cycles! I’d recognize it anywhere...” 

“So...it’s true. An Autobot has really tampered with my processor. Before I was even online?” Optimus looked slightly devastated.

“In all honesty, kid, the Autobot Science Division is not a place anybot would want to be taken to for _fun_.”

“Autobot Science Division: archived and coded many reports under Project: Orion,” he said, pulling up numerous files on-screen. “Shockwave: decoded only a portion of files. Will send more immediately.”

Ratchet interrupted him. “Hold on, the ASD is heavily guarded and their digital archives, even more so. I heard back in the day that Shockwave had skill, but this is only a recent development. He would need a significant amount of time to even break in.” 

Seeing no reason to withhold information, Soundwave bluntly said, “Shockwave: has access, however limited. Currently: head of Autobot Intelligence.” Megatron shot up from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. In the same moment Optimus’ optics widened.

“Soundwave-!”

“Wait, he’s what-?!”

“Files being sent via close-range-link for perusal. Testing and Onlining Notes: decoded. ASD approval code imbedded in each file; proves legitimacy.” He skillfully interrupted. 

“ _No_ , hold on. _Shockwave_ has been-?“

“Prime...you may want to look at those files...” This time, Ratchet interrupted his rant, scrolling through the the notes on his HUD, while everyone around him did the same, even Megatron, who looked just as unsettled as the rest. Taking in the docbot’s shocked tone and following his example, Optimus pulled up the first file and began to scroll. Then he pulled up another, then another, optics looking more lost with each one. 

_Spark of Orion Pax: separated from frame for 2 decacycles. Placed in war-class frame: denied. Must be similar frame-type to support spark._

_**Attempt:** 2, 18 decacyles. Civilian class frame: denied. Smaller frame size cannot support spark implant. _

_**Attempt:** 3, 32 decacyles. Larger civilian frame: success. Spark retains memories: experiment attempted to fight. Terminated. _

_**Attempt:** 4, 56 decacyles. Memory alteration technology in development. Trauma still present. Terminated._

_**Attempt:** 9, 1 stellar cycle. Terminated._

_**Attempt:** 23, 7 stellar cycles. Terminated._

_**Attempt:** 73, 43 stellar cycles. Terminated. Project put on hold. Spark held in stasis. Must wait until proper programming can be implemented. Will use other test subjects as to not deteriorate quality of spark, by order of Magnus. Must complete other projects to aid in Autobot victory._

_**Attempt:** 74, 1,833 stellar cycles. Able to return to project. Spark removed from stasis. New Civilian Class ‘Academy’ Frame: heavy duty but similar frame-type. Processor: installed with new firewall technology, able to pre-program firewalls while spark is in stasis. _

_Online **:** success._

_Firewalls **:** success._

_Given Designation by Order of Magnus: **Optimus**_

The Prime shuttered as head read through the files. It was true. It was all true. Not only was he developed in a lab but... he was a Decepticon? Bonded to Megatron and murdered by the Autobots, the bot’s who he thought he belonged with. 

But if he was being honest with himself, he never felt like he belonged, not until he became a part of this family of misfits.

But, despite the thoughts of the team he swore to protect, he couldn’t get the idea that his entire functioning had been a lie, planned from the very beginning. By the Magnus of all bots. 

Ultra Magnus.

He stared past his HUD, past the blank medbay wall he was facing, optics in a haze. 

“...Optimus? Kid, ya gotta speak to me.” He snapped his optics to Ratchet’s worried faceplate as the doc placed a servo on his shoulder, processor fuzzing out in distress. He didn’t notice that the spark monitor began to pulse more rapidly. Trying to think past his swimming processor and racing thoughts of ‘ _Why me?_ ’ and ‘ _What do I do?_ ’ he began detaching the various wires hooked to his frame and climbed off the berth. 

“Hey! What are you-“ Ratchet reached to stop him before Optimus held up a servo, stumbling his way out of the medbay.

“I need to be alone,” he managed to mumble out. Megatron even looked concerned as he reached for the staggering, stressed bot. 

“ _Alone_.” He shot a look towards the ‘con. The Lord halted and let him leave, drowning the room in silence once again.

That is, until Bumblebee spoke up in concern. “Hold on, so Longarm Prime as been a Decepticon this whole time?”

Megatron ex-vented, tearing his gaze away from the vacant entryway and rolling them towards the ceiling like a silent prayer. “Correct...”

“Oh slag,” Bee whispered, as if he suddenly realized something important...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasp. wasp, it was wasp, bee, you forgot about was p
> 
> also thanks for the sweet comments, i had a really bad night at work last night and they cheered me up a lot!
> 
> tonights hot take: cinderella au


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> op needed a break so i gave him one here’s a little interlude
> 
> i wanted to update sooner but things kept getting in the way rip
> 
> thanks again for the comments! they give me the confidence i don't have lol. I'm glad I'm writing with good characterization that's my Biggest Fear

The Prime’s berthroom ceiling was just as bland as the medbay’s, yet Optimus didn’t register this fact as he starred past the gray concrete, optics half lit. He used to stare up at it from his recharge slab some nights, wondering endlessly how he was going to protect his team. This planet had many more dangers than he was anticipating. He would spend cycles trying to fall into recharge.

Right now, he struggled to stay awake. He was tired, so very tired. Tired of the stress, of the confusion. He couldn’t even focus on one line of thought, his processor and spark a whirl of emotion. Distantly, he mused how his brain module would probably melt before he could clear his processor. 

So far, he’s been lying on the slab, isolated in his small room for cycles, no other bot in the vicinity daring to enter the Prime’s space. During moments of coherence and not lost in his own processor, he could hear various bots, most likely his team, walk to the closed door of his room, hesitate, then turn a full 180 and trudge back the way they came, choosing to give him some time alone. 

Optimus was grateful. He wasn’t sure he could explain his state-of-processor to himself, much less anybot else. He couldn’t think, yet was thinking too much at once. He didn’t know what to do.

Eventually, he just started asking himself rapid questions: _How did I get here? What do I do? What will happen to my team? Is Megatron really a better option than the Autobots?_

_Who am I?_

He was so lost, he almost didn’t register his door rolling upwards with the squeak of gears and shutting soon after with a ‘ _kur-chunk_.’ He was so tired, he didn’t even bother to acknowledge or reprimand the intruder for entering, choosing instead to keep staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Hey there, big bot. Are you ok?” The small, high pitched voice caught him off guard and made him jump slightly. He was honestly expecting Ratchet. 

Optimus sat up slowly, trying to shake himself out of his daze. He looked over the edge of his berth, down towards the floor, seeing nothing.

“Up here, big guy.” He lifted his helm slightly, and there was his favorite little techno-organic, hovering a little ways away at optic level. The Prime cycled his dim optics once, still in a slight daze.

“Sari? You’re...flying?”

The girl giggled. “Yep! My dad built me this jet pack for Christmas! Isn’t it sweet?” 

The Prime smiled a true smile in what felt like forever, happy for the girl who always seemed to be smiling. “It suits you very well.” His smile fell a bit. “Merry Christmas, Sari. I hope you had a good day with your father. I apologize, everything’s been a bit hectic around here. _I_ still can’t really grasp what’s going on.”

“Yeah, I figured.” She replied with a sympathetic smile. “I flew here as soon as I could to show you and the rest of the team my new upgrades. I’ll admit, I was a little freaked out when I came in and saw Megatron and Soundwave, of all bots, sitting awkwardly in the living room, silent and brooding like they had sticks up their tailpipes. I was about to start a brawl when Ratchet pulled me aside.” This time her smile turned to a concerned frown. “It took me a while to understand, but he explained everything. Which leads me back to my first question. _Are you ok_ , Optimus?”

The bot in question starred at the human, optics widened in surprise. No one has ever genuinely wanted to know if he was alright before. Sure, his team was always there for him, but Optimus tried hard to put up a strong front. He was the leader. He needed to give his team support and hope, even if that meant hiding his inner turmoil from them. But he wasn’t strong and never was, really. He’s let them down.

Sudden sad optics shifted away from the hovering girl, while his faceplate dropped. “I-I...uh,” he stuttered out, vocalizer fuzzing out with a little bit of static. He was slowly becoming more distressed. Was he ok? Definitely not, but how was he to tell Sari that? The girl looked up to him, and he couldn’t let her down, too. However, when he thought back to that sincere look, he knew he couldn’t lie to her. “I don’t- I mean-“ Fluid welled up in his optics, not spilling over quite yet. He looked back into her eyes and vented out. “ _No_.” A single line of fluid escaped down his cheek plate.

Sari immediately flew closer to the Prime sitting up on his berth. She wrapped her little arms as best she could around his neck, giving him a hug. The attempt at physical comfort made more fluid escape his optics until it was streaming down his faceplates. He closed his optics tightly, vents coming quicker. He brought up a servo to gently hold Sari against him to return the gesture in a mock-embrace. His shoulders were shaking.

“It’s ok, big bot. Let it all out. You’ll feel better, I always do,” she said, voice slightly muffled. “You can always tell me anything.”

And he did. Once he started, he couldn’t stop, like a dam that suddenly burst. All the recent events, and basically his entire functioning, rushed to the forefront of his processor: the insecurity, ridicule, failure, outcasting. Never having a chance to express his stress and sadness before, his emotional banks felt like they were going to short out with the amount of information trying to be processed at once.

No, he was not ok, and he was finally able to show it.

For a few clicks, he let out choking vents as optical fluid ran down his cheek plates in rivers. Finally, the Prime reset his vocalizer a few times, trying to clear out the static. 

“I-I can’t do this, Sari. How am I supposed to protect everyone from the Decepticons _and_ Autobots? How am I supposed to uphold all that I believe in when apparently my entire functioning had been a lie? The way I lived was a lie!  _I don’t even know who I am-!_ ” His vocalizer started to short out again, static slowly inhibiting his ability to communicate. He reset it once, then twice, to continue. Sari just let him speak. “The ‘cons have done many terrible things, but apparently, so have the Autobots! I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“Well, one things for sure. I know you can trust me. You can trust Bee and Bulkhead, Ratchet and Prowl. We all care for you, Optimus!” She pulled away from the embrace to look the Prime in the optics, Optimus letting her go. “I know how you feel. When I found out that I was half-Cybertronian, I questioned everything in my life: my dad’s love for me, every memory I had. But thanks to a few certain bots, I realized that I will always be ‘Sari Sumdac’ no matter what I’m made of or where I came from!” She spoke softer. “And I also know that no matter what name you have, what faction you’re a part of, or what your past was like, you will always be our favorite Boss Bot. One who believes in protecting the innocent! _And_ those he cares about.” She smiled and hovered up a little closer to his faceplate, placing her tiny hands on each of his cheeks. “No matter what you remember, it’s the heart that stays true! Or the spark, in your case. Literally!” Giggling, Sari flew back to give Optimus some space. 

The Prime has a shocked look on his faceplate, his tears trickling to a stop as he absorbed every single one of her encouraging words. He then gave a small, weary smile. “You’re right, Sari. Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you, truly.” He reached up a digit to ruffle her hair gently, making her laugh even more. The little girl’s joy made him smile a little wider. 

Maybe this whole endeavor wouldn’t be so bad after all. Sure, there were many, many ‘bumps in the road,’ as the humans said, but he knew his family would stick with him, no matter what. His processor was still a mess of confusion and emotion, he was still scared, but right now, it was bearable.

“Hey! You know what always cheers me up after a stressful day? Hanging out with those I care about! And it’s still Christmas. We can have a little celebration! To be honest, Megatron looks less intimidating while sitting in the corner looking confused and uncomfortable while Ratchet and the others try to figure out what to do. We should teach him Earth customs!” 

The Prime rolled his optics playfully, her cheerful mood contagious. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea-“

“Nope! We’re doing it! C’mon big bot, let’s go!” She flew down, grabbed his servo with both of her hands and pulled. She was definitely not strong enough to even budge the Prime, but Optimus humored her. 

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.” He groaned with a smirk. Her laughter really was contagious. 

He slid off his berth and trudged to the door, Sari still ‘pulling’ him along. He rolled up the door with his free servo and closed it immediately. Eventually, Sari let go of him and flew by his side. Once they reached the threshold to the common area, he braved himself for the looks of confusion or pity at nearly having a breakdown on the medbay floor. However, what met him was the happy smiles of his team. 

Everybot on Team Prime greeted him kindly, no bot asking or pressing him for details on his period in isolation or what made him emerge. He was grateful.

“Hey Boss Bot! What do you think of Sari’s sweet upgrades?” Bumblebee spoke with excitement.

“I think they suit her.” The Prime said. “But I better not catch you two causing any trouble in the city trying to race each other.” 

The yellow minibot saluted the Prime. “Sir, yessir!” He, Bulkhead, and Sari then raced of to cause a ruckus somewhere else in the base, the three of them laughing like younglings. The Prime smiled.

“Our guests haven’t been too much trouble.” The ninjabot spoke up, dropping his voice into an amused hush. “I’m not sure they know what to do with themselves, honestly.”

“I wouldn’t blame them,” Optimus whispered with a small smirk. “We haven’t exactly spent extended periods of time with each other.” He had almost forgotten about their Decepticon visitors, both Megatron and Soundwave on the opposite side of the common room, sitting on the ground, looking uncomfortable. Megatron had his optics offlined and arms crossed like he was trying to recharge.

Ratchet spoke up this time, also keeping his voice in a whisper, luckily being drowned out by the loudness of the three youngest members of the team. “Yeah, well ‘Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Brooding’ over there wanted to follow ya, ‘ _to make sure you were alright_.’ I had to threaten him with a wrench again.” 

That statement made something stir within the Prime’s spark chamber; something warm, a little fuzzy. 

What were those organic creatures again? Flutter flies? 

He glanced back towards the warlord still resting against the far wall and thought back to what Sari said in his berthroom. He ex-vented, putting his servos on his hip struts. 

“Alright!” He said at a volume a little louder than necessary. He had to suppress a laugh when he witnessed the Lord jump in surprise. 

He had to suppress a shiver when those red optics landed on him. 

“A lot has happen this solar cycle, but we can only do so much right now. I think we all need a break,” he said with a sigh. “And since the humans have so kindly let us stay on this planet, I think celebrating a little bit of their ‘Christmas’ holiday would be relaxing. Sari? Tell us what to do.” 

Sari took as much joy in setting up for the celebration this night as she had the last. She brought out the warm oil, noting that, no, it will not cause everybot who drank it to be knocked into recharge. The bots dimmed the warehouse lights, activating the twinkling red and green bulbs strung throughout the common area. The two ‘cons were silent and looked vaguely uncomfortable, even Soundwave, who showed no emotion. They weren’t used to cheer, silliness, or human customs. They also weren’t used to human-based techno-organics, flying around like a Decepticon flightframe.

The Prime smirked, enjoying the scenery, the joy and laughter of their youngest members warming his spark as they tried to play board games and tell stories. 

Eventually, Soundwave internally said ‘ _slag it_ ’ and subtly joined in. He lightly played Earth holiday tunes from local frequencies that he picked up through his speakers. It was entertaining to see Sari, in all her smallness, try to dance with Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Even Prowl joined in on ‘ _busting a move_ ’ as Sari put it. Ratchet just gruffly laughed, spurring on the youngsters.

Eventually, even the silent warlord moved a little closer to the group, specifically to the Prime. He shuffled closer to the couch Optimus was curled up on, legs pulled up towards his chassis. He sat back on the ground, hunching over himself. Even while sitting like this, he was still a few helms taller than the Prime. 

Neither said anything, but Optimus did reach for a mug of oil and handed it to Megatron. He gave a small smile, stunning the warlord with his kindness. 

“Drink up. Before it gets cold,” Optimus said softly, before turning back to the spectacle that was Bumblebee and Bulkhead failing in their rendition of what was supposed to be the human dance called the ‘tango.’ The Prime gave a hearty laugh at the young bots as they stumbled about, feeling more content than he had in a while.

All Megatron could think of was how similar the Prime’s smile was to his beloved’s and how well it suited him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't forget about sari
> 
> havent forgotten about sentinel either rip


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never seen la la land but the hummed version of City of Stars is good

A sudden soft invent was the only indication that Optimus had come online. As his processor slowly booted up, he took a moment to think of the night before. It was the most fun he’d had in a while. He was grateful for Sari suggesting they take a moment to relax. Megatron had even joined in a little, humoring the young techno-organic by answering her various questions about Decepticons and Cybertronians in general. He liked the attention, no matter how exasperated he sounded.

Egoist.

Ratchet even shared a couple of old Cybertron stories, before the war. Bumblebee and Bulkhead told of their lives before entering the Academy, and Prowl told stories of his younger cycles and training under Master Yoketron.

Toward the end of the evening, everybot and the single techno-organic sat around in a crude circle to share their tales. Optimus remembered his fight to keep his optics from fading halfway through Sari asking Megatron another silly question with a skeptical gaze and a tilt to her head: _Have you ever killed anyone?_ He lost this battle right when Ratchet spoke up loudly to deflect the question and change the subject when Megatron was all too willing to answer truthfully. The Prime didn’t know whether to be happy or terrified that she was able to adjust to this ‘changing sides’ thing so easily. 

Well, they weren’t really changing sides. They were just trying to figure out what was going on, all the other terrible things the Autobots did, and make sure the bots who did this were exposed. It just so happens that the Lord of the Decepticons aligned with their goals, allowing them to spend time with one another. And share info. And a base, apparently.

_Oh, Primus..._

Optimus groaned and shifted where he was lying. Truthfully, he expected his struts to be a lot more achy than they were, considering where he fell into recharge and the spill he took the solar cycle before. When his processor was finally functioning well enough, shoving his new doubts and fears away for the moment, he stretched his struts and onlined his optics. What greeted him was his own blank ceiling instead of the cracked one of the common area. He was embarrassed how long it took his processor to realize that he _was,_ in fact, in his berthroom. Huh.

One or more of his team must have dragged him to berth after he passed out from the stressful yestercycle. He felt a little guilty for that. He wasn’t exactly the smallest or lightest of bots. He had to admit, however, that he had a great rest, the kind he hadn’t in a while.

Once he got his bearings, the Prime sat up fully on his berth and swung his legs to the side to stand up. He walked over to his door and opened and closed it as quietly as he could; his chronometer read that it was still a little early in the solar cycle. He tread lightly as he walked toward the common area, yawning and stretching this arms above his helm as he entered. He looked around, taking in the disaster area, mostly courtesy of the young bots and Sari. He smiled, despite the mess he had to clean up. The Prime was glad they had a good time. 

Despite the mugs and games and party supplies littering every surface, the common area was empty. 

‘ _They must all be in their rooms_.’ In the back of his mind, the Prime wondered where the two Decepticons has gone off to. Maybe they decided that trying to uncover his memories wasn’t worth the trouble anymore. 

‘ _If only it were that easy_ ,’ Optimus thought. He shook himself out of his musings and continued about his task. He went around collecting the mugs of oil spread throughout the room. In the corner was a large basin that they used to wash their tools, weapons, and, in this case, mugs. Optimus walked over and placed the various cups inside, turning on the spray of water they had installed a while ago. Not wanting to work in silence, he activated his external stereo from his alt-mode and flipped to a CD that Sari had made for him. A soft guitar filled the room. 

Optimus began scrubbing the oil-caked containers, really just small barrels, while humming along to the melody of the song. It was the first song on the disk, something from a recent musical that Sari liked and insisted on showing them. 

His thoughts began to wander, thinking about anything and everything. He purposefully stayed away from the specific lines of thought he was having the night before, not wanting to descend down that spiral again. Instead, he thought about his team, memories with them and how far they had come. He was proud of them. 

He thought about Soundwave and how he seemed strangely affected about the issues at hand. He would have to inquire about that later. Or maybe he wouldn’t have to, if he got his memories back. 

He thought about Megatron. He thought about how the warlord wasn’t his biggest threat anymore and how unexpectedly cooperative he was; how awkward and gentle he could be when he was unused to something.

Alright, enough of _that_. 

However, Optimus couldn’t ignore the tug that his spark gave every time they were near each other. Whoever he was before becoming Optimus Prime, he must have had a deep connection with Megatron. He knew they were bonded once, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the Lord was like before he was...gone.

Lost in his own processor, the Prime’s hip struts unconsciously swayed to the slow beat coming out of his stereo. As the song faded to a close, he finished up washing and shut off the water. As he set the barrels aside to dry, he didn’t notice the presence in the entryway behind him. 

“You have a nice voice.”

The Prime jumped, barley able to keep a surprised noise from escaping his vocalizer. He whirled around quickly, regarding the intruder with wide optics. “Megatron!” The afthead had a smug little smile on his faceplate. “I- uh,” ‘ _Wow, Prime, really?_ ’ He reprimanded himself, then finally registered the compliment. “...thanks?”

Instead of replying, the warlord walked fully into the room, starting to pick up the various items strewn about to try and organize everything. 

“Oh, you don’t need to do that-“ Optimus protested.

“But I insist, Optimus. After all, you’ve been a fine host.” He even had it in himself to sound sincere. Maybe he was.

Not wanting to counter the Lord, Optimus silently joined him in collecting garbage from the night before and cleaning up the room. He was so startled by this encounter, he forgot to offline his stereo, which was still playing various melodies. Just as he turned it off, Megatron turned to him and awkwardly said, “You can keep it on. It’s...good.” Still busying himself and facing away from the warlord, the Prime smiled a little at his stiffness and turned his stereo back on. They both began to grasp the flow of cleaning when Optimus thought to try for some small talk, curiosity getting the better of him.

“So, uh. Did you recharge well?” ‘ _Primus, why_?’

The ‘con actually chuckled. “Yes, thank you. Your team was gracious enough to set up both Soundwave and I with accommodations. To ‘ _keep an optic on us_ ’ I believe was your medic’s excuse. They’re both in the medbay right now, going over information about our, ah, ‘ _predicament_.’”

“Oh that’s...good.” The Prime said, only half focused on cleaning while trying to force the idea of having to face this problem again so soon.

“And you?”

“What?”

“How did you recharge?”

“Oh,” Optimus said. “Better than I thought, actually...”

“Yes, that’s good. I was sure you didn’t want to online on that concrete slab.”

Optimus stopped what he was doing and turned towards the warlord, who continued cleaning. “Wait, _you_ carried me to my slab?”

Megatron suddenly turned sheepish, still cleaning to try and look nonchalant. “Ah, correct. I...wanted you to be comfortable. Especially after the events of the whole solar cycle. Your medic tried to threaten me with another tool of his, but I insisted. I apologize if that was too presumptuous of me-“

“No, no!” The Prime spoke up and then cleared his intake after the outburst. “I mean- Thank you. I appreciate it.” The warlord was about to reply when another bot entered the room.

“Not to interrupt this painful excuse for small talk,” The now-present medic was completely unapologetic. “but would you two care to come into the medbay for a click. We’ve got a few new turn of events.” With that, Ratchet turned back the way he came, expecting the two to follow. Optimus and Megatron both shot each other confused looks and did what the medic asked.

As they walked into the medbay, the Prime heard Soundwave conversing with another bot.

“-and conditions are worsening, my friend. I unfortunately don’t have as much time as I originally believed.” Currently on the other end of a vid-feed, transmitting securely from Cybertron, was Longarm Prime. Optimus felt his plating flare in unease. 

The disguised mech’s gaze was drawn to the gray mech behind Soundwave. “Ah, my Lord. I wish I were calling with more positive news.” Shockwave then turned his gaze to the Prime and inclined his helm in greeting. “Optimus Prime. It is nice to see that you are well.” There was well hidden emotion behind that greeting, but Optimus could just make it out, ignoring the now-familiar tug his spark gave.

“Shockwave.” The Decepticon Lord greeted the undercover bot in return with a similar tilt to the helm. “What has occurred? I trust that you are at least safe for now?”

“Yes, sir. Allow me to, ah, ‘ _cut to the chase_ ,’ however. I fear that my position will soon be compromised and am currently making arrangements to join you on Earth.”

At that, Megatron’s optics widened in uncharacteristic surprise. “And what lead you to this conclusion?” he said with a sense of urgency, moving closer to the vid-feed. “And what is this I hear about ‘conditions worsening?”

“Well,” the undercover bot paused, actually looking nervous for once. “I have been extremely careful during my tenure here on Cybertron as Longarm Prime. However, when it came to accessing the Archives and the Autobot Science Division, there were some...complications.” Megatron raised a brow ridge, a silent urge for him to continue. “Excavating the standard note documents from the ASD was simple. My position gave me direct access to the first few levels of the Archives, and I was able to mask my activity. However, when it came to trying to access the deeper files, in hopes of finding the deactivation codes associated with Project: Orion, I could only get so far with my security clearance _while_ masking my code. I also couldn’t very well walk into the ASD or the Archives to take the physical copies either.”

“So, you weren’t able to retrieve the codes?” Megatron asked, a slight waver to his voice, as if he were worried. However, Shockwave alleviated some of his tension.

“Oh, _of course_ I was able to. Who do you take me for?” The bot said with a smug smirk on his faceplate. Megatron’s faceplate turned to one of exasperation at the insubordination but chose to let it slide. “No, the problem is _how_ I retrieved the files.” The bot then picked up the pace of his explanation, sensing he had ought to move this along. “I didn’t have lower level clearance, and if I were to hack the lower Archives, the ASD security AI would have easily traced the infiltration back to my console, exposing me immediately on the account of security being much stricter the deeper you go. I wouldn’t have even had time to send you the files, much less decode them. So, I figured that instead of hiding my true identity, I needed to hide my persona.”

“ _Tell me you did not-_ “

“It was necessary, my Lord. I needed to retrieve the codes.”

This time, Ratchet jumped in, surprised as the rest of them. “So, you’re telling me that you just _waltzed_ into the Autobot Science Division Archives as a Decepticon, and they let you _waltz_ right back out with sensitive material?”

“No, Autobot, that is not what I’m saying. I was clever enough to create a distraction.”

Suspicion dripped through Megatron’s voice as he spoke up once more. “What have you done, Shockwave?”

“Well, my Lord, these Autobot’s needed to be exposed for what they are doing to their citizens. I am also a scientist, and I can admit this. So, I initiated some chaos on the opposite side of the Division via controlled explosives-“

“ _Explosives_?!” Both Autobots in the room exclaimed.

“ _Controlled_ explosives. The blast destroyed a portion of the ASD Archives, and I took the liberty of taking a servo-full or more after I found the files we needed.”

“What purpose do you have for the extra files?” the blue and red Prime asked while moving closer to the screen. 

“With the Autobots scrambling to find out what had been destroyed and what was missing, the amount of data taken would just look like a random attack rather than one with purpose. If I had just taken the specific files corresponding to Project: Orion and left everything else intact-“

“It would have given them reason to believe somebot was trying to recover my memory banks,” the Prime completed.

“Precisely. It was necessary to keep them from coming after you.”

Megatron spoke up again, crossing his arms while trying to get a handle on the situation. “You said that you believe your position will be compromised. Were you spotted shifting from or back into your Longarm form?”

“No. However, I believe it only a matter of time before they take a closer look at their access logs from my previous excursion into the Archives and finally spot and decode my activity. They are starting to tighten security due to the civil unrest as well-“

Optimus’ brow ridges creased. “Unrest? What civil unrest?”

“Ah. Yes, I probably should have mentioned this sooner-“

“Shockwave.” The Decepticon Lord warned before his informant could go of into a tangent. 

“Right. The citizens here are starting to uncover the government’s faults on their own. There’s been an energon shortage recently. Drones have not been working efficiently, so they’re sending civilian workers underground. Conditions are less than ideal.”

“Underground?” the Lord ask. “Civilian bots are not meant for those conditions unless given the proper upgrades.” 

“Which they have not, I’m afraid. And many bots are becoming wise to their fear-mongering and neglect of the lower classes. Protests have sprung up across the planet, and the government isn’t exactly being kind to them.” As he said that, Shockwave attaches a video on screen. The feed showed various instances of bots being harshly subdued by vicious guards, while other citizens, and even other guard members, looked on in horror. 

Optimus wanted to be sick. “How could the Magnus allow this to happen to his citizens?” He asked this more to himself than to the other bots in the room, one servo over his intake. Sure, Ultra Magnus had to sign off on many of the experiments that went on in the ASD, including his own, but surely, the scientific jargon made it difficult to understand, right? He probably thought the experiments benefited all of Cybertron. He would never consciously hurt other bots when he’s supposedly done so much to protect them. 

Right? 

Wrong. “Ah. About the Magnus...” Everybot in the room turned to look back at the screen. “I took the liberty of accessing the Decepticon Storage Archives remotely for that specific day, when the attack happened. I had wanted to see if I had missed something that could potentially aid us in recovering your memories, Optimus Prime. However, I came across the surveillance footage from outside the chamber where he- you where found. This...might be too much for you to watch-“

“I’m fine.” Optimus said, though he could hardly convince himself, let alone the others. “Play the footage. Please.”

Shockwave didn’t reply, only posting the video up on the screen for everybot to see. It looped, showing a bot with dark plating, sneaking yet rushing into a door just off-screen. “When I viewed the footage all those stellar cycles ago, I didn’t recognize the bot, thinking it was just another dark-plated stealth mech completing an assigned mission. But recently, I took a closer look, noticing key features.” He switched the footage to that of a few clicks later, showing the bot in question rushing out of the room, something in hand. With a few artificial enhancements, everybot could just barley just make out who it was.

“Ultra Magnus...” Optimus whispered, feeling weary all of the sudden. He must have painted over his plating for either stealth or to mask his identity. The Prime needed to sit, so he did, right on the medical berth he just barley made it to. He didn’t catch the concerned looks thrown his way by every other bot in the room. 

“What is that in his hand?” The medic questioned, sneaking closer to Optimus to make sure he was alright. 

“I thought it was a just a weapon. But then I enhanced the footage and...” The video on-screen cleared, corresponding to Shockwave’s manipulations.

Ratchet was the first to speak up, optics flared in anger. “ _Slag it all!_ I had my suspicions, but this is worse!”

Optimus just squinted at the screen, confused. The object looked like a short metal cylinder with glass window-like circle sitting at the top, allowing one to peer inside. The center glowed, and his spark ached again. “What is it?”

The medic ex-vented, reigning in his temper. “It’s a spark inhibitor, kid. It’s designed to keep a spark locked inside to prohibit access to one’s frame. It’s designed to allow easy transport of only the most dangerous of criminals. However, it’s supposed to remain _inside_ the frame.” 

Optimus knew where he was going with this. In the corner of his optics, he saw Megatron standing near him, servos clenched but strangely silent. “He had this planned all along...” 

“I’d like to hear what _you_ have planned, Optimus, old buddy.”

Everybot in the room whirled toward the entrance to the medbay, distracted by the discoveries they were unlocking. There stood Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and two other bots that the shorter Prime has never seen before. They all had their weapons drawn. Sentinel and the two bots looked determined while Jazz just looked vaguely upset, a frown marring his faceplate. 

“C’mon, pal. Care to chit-chat? Bot-to-bot?” He tone betrayed his true feelings, those of smugness and superiority.

Optimus ex-vented while pushing down his rising anxiety. ‘ _This might as well happen,_ ’ he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its changing sides op its ok to be gay


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Eyyy I’m on my way back to school and I have a bunch of crap I need to get done and classes start Tuesday. So there will be a little pause in updates until I can find time to put in the effort that I want for the next chapter
> 
> is jazz a major? minor? can't remember but i love posting at 1am

Optimus didn’t dignify Sentinel’s taunting with a reply. Stellar cycles of being the butt of every joke, the center of every tease, taunt, and scathing remark taught the smaller Prime that it was better to sever yourself from emotion while under scrutiny. Sure, the thought of his once-friend now hating him so thoroughly stung. It stung enough that he started to believe the insults, but now he’s learned to not let it deter him from his self-assigned path: protect the bots under his care. 

Even if said bots now included, not one, but _two_ emotionally constipated Decepticons. Despite it only being one solar cycle since discovering the atrocities committed on him and other Cybertronian civilians, he knew he could never call himself an Autobot again.

He only wondered what it would take for the four Elite Guard members before him to realize that as well.

Nobot moved, the entire medbay tense with underlying animosity, mainly between Sentinel, Optimus, and the ever-looming Lord Megatron. Ratchet just scowled, never liking the blue and orange Prime in the first place, and Soundwave hadn’t spoken or moved since Shockwave started his explanation. Speaking of the undercover bot, the vid-feed was now blank, but the sound-feed was still transmitting as indicated by a sound bar at the bottom of the screen. He was listening and waiting, hoping that Sentinel was just too absorbed in his distaste for Optimus to notice anything else in the room.

Growing irritated by the lack of action or groveling, the plow truck took one step forward to the Prime now standing in front of the medical slab, having jumped off during the intrusion. He was about to demand answers from this know-it-all-poor-excuse-for-a-functioning-bot. 

This was a mistake, he realized, when a large warframe, that he managed to forget was present, gave an aggravated rumble from his engine and activated his fusion cannon with a ‘ _whir_.’ Immediately, Sentinel’s gaze was snapped to the ‘con and drawn  _up_ to look the terrifying Lord in the optics.

Red pierced into blue, and the larger Prime visibly tensed in fear. For a bot who has never even stood in the presence of a fully-functioning Decepticon before, Sentinel was taking this surprisingly well. 

Well, he hadn’t rattled into a million pieces on the floor out of fear. Yet.

Optimus knew he needed to do something quickly before the afthead was turned into a molten scrap pile. However, not used to being intimidated, Sentinel beat him to it by gritting his dentae and looking back to the smaller Prime. He prepared to do the thing he did best. Gloat.

“I bet you thought you had it _all_ figured out, pal.” That insufferable smirk was back on his faceplate. “Acting like a good little bot, doing everything your leader asks, being a little goody-two-peds. And then you turn around and betray everything that the Magnus has worked for, that _every_ _Autobot_ has worked for.” Distracted by his own seething anger, he stomped forward, causing the big bad Lord to actually growl out of his vocalizer, fangs exposed in a snarl. Oblivious to the danger he was in, the Autobot Second-in-Command kept at it. “But I’ll have you know, I’ve always known there was something up with you. You’re not that clever.” He pointed a digit toward the red and blue Prime, taking a step forward while the bot under scrutiny just shoved down his emotion. He was used to this kind of slag talk and didn’t say a word as he took the verbal abuse. But he knew he needed to do something before this escalated beyond control. “And now I’ve finally caught you, fraternizing with some dirty ‘cons cause you know you can’t fit in anywhere else,” Sentinel said through his dentae while poking the Prime on the glass of his chassis.

Another mistake, really.

For all his authority and egotistical attitude, Sentinel let out an undignified screech as he was _lifted_ off the ground by a large servo grasping his back plating like a newspark. Soon, he was brought faceplate to faceplate with the Decepticon Lord, the Slag-Maker Himself. Megatron wasn’t too pleased, glaring at the Prime while Sentinel just froze and looked like he wanted to cry. 

Almost forgotten at the entrance of the medbay, Jazz looked like he was about to engage the ‘con but held back. He didn’t want to provoke anybot further, trying to get a handle on the situation. The jettwins, however, hadn’t yet grasped the concept of talk-first-fight-later. 

“Release the Sentinel Prime!” Jetfire demanded, not intimidated by the large Decepticon in the least. 

“Yeah! Let go of him or brother and I will slag you!” Jetstorm declared after, arms raised and ready to cause a windstorm. 

The yelling of the two newest Elite Guard members snapped Sentinel out of his thoughts of terror, now just angry for being mech-handled. “Unhand me you Decepticon scum!” He yelled while he struggled in the Lord’s grip. It was honestly pathetic. After realizing his fight was for naught, he tried to turned his helm to glare at the twins. “You two! Do something!” And they almost did, Jetfire and Jetstorm preparing to set the medbay ablaze in a tornado of fire, that is, until two sets of giant servos came around the corner of the entrance and grabbed them from behind, clamping stasis cuffs onto the twins’ wrists. 

“Aww, look at the little ones struggle! You two aren’t going anywhere!” The cuffs didn’t activate, only there to stop them from using their weapons. The twins looked back, shocked at being suddenly caught. What gazed back while holding onto Jetfire was the black and red faceplate of a giant flyer, larger than the twins even when they combined. 

“You dare raise a servo against the glorious Megatron?!” Said the other gigantic bot, holding Jetfire and glaring with his many optics. Despite their lumbering size, no one noticed the ‘cons arrive on the scene due to the chaos Sentinel was stirring up.

Jazz, startled by their arrival, slowly backed away from them while raising his nunchucks, but stopped when a calm baritone voice spoke up.

“That is unwise Autobot. And you seem like a smart mech. Maybe you would care to listen to an explanation before jumping to conclusions.” Megatron ignored the still raging Sentinel Prime, covering his intake with his servo to stop his blabbering. Calm red optics focused on the white and black ninjabot. Jazz slowly lowered his hands. The Lord then turned to addressed the new arrivals. “Lugnut. Blitzwing. I appreciate the timing.” The show of gratitude earned him a salute from both flightframes, Blitzwing switching to his calm persona.

“I think... I already know what this is about.” Everybot’s gaze then turned from the two large ‘cons, back to the small ninjabot. Jazz looked even more upset than when he arrived, like he was fighting a war in his processor. He’d like to think that he knew Optimus Prime decently well. He didn’t seem like a bad bot nor one to betray his faction without a reason. Prowl looked up to him.

Jazz turned to better address the small Prime, who hadn’t yet been able to say his piece without harsh words being thrown his way. “We came to Earth to search for a fugitive that escaped the Stockades. Wasp is his designation. We decided to stop by to see if y’all had heard anything, but then we picked up on the ‘con’s signal at close range. We proceeded from there.” Sentinel tried to yell at the Major for giving information to the ‘enemy,’ but luckily, it was muffled behind Megatron’s hand. “First, we encountered Prowl and the others. We were going to follow the signal after we subdued ‘em but while I was cuffing Prowl, he whispered something to me.” The bot’s visor dimmed slightly in distress while the look of anguish crossed his faceplate. “He said Autobots we’re experimenting on civilians. Hurtin’ ‘em. Killin’ ‘em.” The struggling of the twins and, surprisingly, Sentinel, ceased. “Prowl’s not one to lie, ‘specially to a fellow ninjabot. So, tell me. Is it true? Cause...cause if you can prove it,” he paused, glancing to Sentinel and then to the twins, “I’ll help you.” The captured Prime started to struggle once again, optics widened. Optimus and Ratchet, too, wore a similar shocked expression. Jazz was a loyal soldier to the Autobot cause, but apparently, he knew the difference between right and wrong.

All that was left to figure out was who exactly was right and who was wrong. 

Optimus glanced about the room, looking from Autobot to Autobot. He ex-vented and spoke for the first time since the team barged in. “Megatron, you can let Sentinel down.” Both the warlord and Ratchet looked at the small Prime like he was glitched. “It’ll be fine. Blitzwing, Lugnut, can you let those two go?”

Lugnut was the first to speak up. “Of course, Lord Pax!” And both ‘cons released the small flightframes from their binds, who then proceeded to huddle together silently. 

Optimus immediately turned a questioning gaze towards Megatron that said something along the lines of ‘ _Seriously_?’ The Lord gave a half shrug while releasing the captive plow truck and offlining his fusion cannon. “They’ve been briefed on the situation,” he said nonchalantly while setting the annoying bot back on his peds. 

Immediately, Sentinel turned toward Optimus. “What is the meaning of this? I’m contacting Autobot Command  _right now_ -“ He was interrupted by Soundwave, who had been standing off to the side silently during this entire exchange. 

“Soundwave: transmitting signal blocker on com-communications.”

Sentinel glared at the surveillance bot and grit his dentae. He was about to spit out some more slag when Jazz grabbed his shoulder strut with his servo. “Look, SP. Something’s going on here. Why don’t we hear ‘em out before we make any decisions?” The Prime said nothing, just continued glaring at the Major, knocking his servo off of his shoulder and wanting to call his a _traitor_. But right now, he knew there was nothing he could do. So, instead of continuing to protest, he backed off, using his processor for once. He still had a scowl plastered to his faceplate as he looked back to Optimus, but he just nodded for the smaller Prime to continue. 

Optimus turned to Soundwave. “Shockwave’s signal can still pierce through the com-barrier, right?” The same moment that Soundwave nodded an affirmative, the vid-feed on the screen came back to life. Shockwave sat on the other end in his normal form, likely hiding his persona in case this explanation went south. The ‘arrival’ of another ‘con caused Sentinel to tense even more.

“A lot has gone on in the last solar cycle, Sentinel,” Optimus said, exhaustion evident in his voice, but not betraying his emotion, wanting to get this over with. He was planning on going straight to the facts and evidence, knowing nothing else would enter Sentinel’s thick helm. “But, I’m going to be honest. I still don’t know how to explain some of it.” The Prime walked over to the console, stopped, and turned back to his ex-friend. “I’m going to be blunt. We have an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting that the Autobot Science Division has conducted thousands upon thousands of experiments on unwilling civilians. Including myself.” Before Sentinel could make a claim against his words, he pressed a key on the console, which transmitted the file, that he and his team received the previous solar cycle, to the new occupants in the room. He could see the dawning look of horror on both Jazz’s and the twins faceplates as they read the file. He couldn’t get a read on Sentinel, but there was something there. “I wasn’t sparked by the Allspark. I was a science experiment. They ripped the spark out of another mech and placed it into this frame, traumas and all, and locked up my memory.” For the first time in forever, the plow truck looked directly into Optimus’ optics with something that wasn’t a glare. Optimus could exactly tell what it was, but he took it as his cue to continue. “I’m not the only one who was tortured by the ASD. Shockwave, you said you had more files?” The undercover bot nodded and sent over a servo-full of various experimental reports and notes, all detailing horrifying procedures and outcomes. Optimus made sure to transmit the files to just Sentinel and Jazz. Those two other bots looked young. No need to scar them just yet. That is, if they already hadn’t been. Autobots weren’t sparked flightframes after all. 

It took the two bots a moment to skim the files. Once they were finished, however, Jazz looked disgusted while Sentinel just looked angry. He looked at Optimus once again. “Tell me. How do I know that all of these files are legitimate, that you and your knew pals didn’t come up with these on the fly?” This time Shockwave spoke up in a deadpan from across the feed.

“If you observe the top of every file, there is a unique designation code that corresponds to the lead scientist. These are unable to be forged as they are linked to the bots specific energy signature. I’m sure you have access to the reference file.”

“And you know this because?”

“I’ve been undercover here for stellar cycles,” Shockwave said, as blunt as ever. Optimus rolled his optics at Sentinel’s stuttering while he could here Megatron sighing deeply in the background. 

Seriously, these ‘cons had no discretion.

Before Sentinel could rev himself up again, Optimus continued. “Sentinel, that’s not all the Magnus is condoning.” The larger Prime silenced himself, and his faceplate dropped. He tried to ignore the Magnus’ signature at the bottom of each proposal document and hoped that he had nothing to do with it. Oh, how wrong he was. 

Without needing to be asked, Shockwave brought up the video clips of civilian protests and subsequent suppression by the Elite Guard, all recorded by various bots and news sources across the planet. That caused the blue and orange Prime to freeze, optics wide. “When was this?” he demanded.

“Today,” Optimus replied, readying himself for the final push. “Conditions are worsening on Cybertron. There’s energon shortages, forcing bots into dangerous lines of work without proper training. The Elite Guard are physically harming bots who speak out peacefully against the government. They are under orders of the Magnus.” Sentinel looked back to the smaller Prime, expression unreadable and forcefully blank. “Long ago, I knew a bot who wanted to help people, despite his own selfishness.” That caused the plow truck’s brow ridge to furrow. “Sure, he’s an aft most of the time and his personality is to be desired-“

“ _Ok_ , I get it-“

“-but I know that he still cares about the people. Now, I know you hate me, Sentinel, but think about those innocent civilians. They don’t deserve to live like this.” Sentinel was about to reply, but was interrupted by Shockwave, everybot’s gaze turning to the vid-screen.

“Pardon the intrusion, I know this discussion is crucial, but,” he shifted his gaze to look past the Primes in the foreground, to Jazz and the twins in the background, who still stood in front of the surprisingly silent Lugnut and Blitzwing. “Your designations are Jetfire and Jetstorm, correct?” 

The bots in question perked up at their names but still seemed unsettled. The held each other’s servo while shuffling forward. “Correct.” They both said simultaneously.

Their mentor immediately squinted his optics at the bot on screen, becoming strangely protective of his charges. “How do you know this?”

Shockwave’s antenna lowered backwards, his one optic dimming in something akin to sadness or dread. “Given our topic of discussion, you could probably guess.” Suddenly, a file popped up on the screen, and Optimus, seeing what Shockwave was getting at, just sent the file to Sentinel. No need to compromise the young twins’ privacy. Slowly, Sentinel’s expression grew to that of horror as he sifted through page after page of detailed experiments on how to properly create flight-capable Autobots. He could detach himself from all the other files, being clinical about his intake of information but this.

These were young bots under his care. Bots he was in charge of protecting and training.

He turned to address the twins, who looked nervous and wouldn’t meet his optics, still huddled close together. “Is this true?” he asked in a whisper, walking toward them and setting surprisingly gentle servos on each of their shoulders. 

The two twins looked at each other sheepishly, as if communicating through their gazes or split sparks, then looked up at the Prime. 

Jetfire spoke first. “Cannot say.” 

Then Jetstorm. “Vocalizers...forbidden.” 

It was enough of an answer. For the first time since Sentinel met the twins, they weren’t their normal, energetic happy selves, eager to learn and succeed. Right now, they looked scared and ashamed, like something were to pop out at any moment and drag them both down to the Pit. 

It made Sentinel’s energon boil. 

His grip tightened on the jettwins’ shoulders, then loosened, not wanting to harm the young bots further. His servos dropped and he turned to face Optimus again, a look of determination in his optics. “We’ll help,” he said bluntly. That caused everybot’s optics to widen.

“You will?” Optimus ask, his shock slipping past the mask he tried to put up whenever he had to deal with Sentinel.

“Of course I will. I’m not a monster!” Sentinel said. Optimus was about to counter him when the larger Prime interrupted. “ _Don’t_. Respond to that. And besides,” The smugness was back. “I can’t have you hogging all the glory, now can I?”

“Sentinel, this is _serious_ -“

“And I’m _being_ serious, Optimus.” He finally cut the slag. “We’ll help.” Optimus glanced around the room. The ‘cons, of course, weren’t fond of Sentinel, but even Megatron, the slagger, was leaving the arguing to Optimus. Jazz was looking at Sentinel with a sort of proud look on his faceplate, while the twins gazed at him with stars in their optics. Optimus ex-vented. “Fine, but we need to know that we can trust you.”

“Aw c’mon, Optimus, old buddy.” Sentinel slung an arm over the smaller Prime’s shoulder struts. He immediately took his arm back when he heard a growl come from the Decepticon Lord. “What’s not to trust? I wouldn’t betray you.”

Optimus directed another look that said ‘ _Seriously_?’ towards the other Prime, but this time, it had more of a bite to it as his optics squinted into a glare. “Do you have a couple of cycles, Sentinel? Cause I’ve got a list.” Just as he said that, the rest of Team Prime ran into the entrance of the medbay, Sari trailing behind them with her jet pack. Sentinel must have missed her during his sweep of the warehouse, and she must have released the rest of the team from their stasis cuffs.

This time Ratchet spoke up, arms crossed. “Oh, look! More bots with lists.” 

Before they could draw their weapons, however, Jazz held up a servo, indicating that everything was under control. Prowl understood and nudged the other two bots to let them know that all was well. Jazz then turned back to the Prime. “I’ll keep an optic on him, OP, Ratchet. Don’t worry. And if you got a suspicion about me, Prowl here can keep me in check as well,” he said, gesturing toward the other ninjabot, who nodded his helm once. Now that was a bot they could trust. 

However, Optimus thought for a moment. Was this a good idea? There was a large chance that this all could fail before it even took off. Despite Sentinel’s earlier accusation, he _didn’t_ have a plan yet. It’s only been one solar cycle, for Primus’ sake! Everything could end so badly for those under his care. 

But it could end just as badly for all of Cybertron if they didn’t do anything. 

The smaller Prime looked at Ratchet, who shrugged. He looked at his team, who would follow him to the Pit, if he asked. Then, he looked at Megatron, who gazed back with his ruby optics. His expression was unreadable, but his optics gave off a feeling that sent his spark fluttering. A feeling that promised that everything was going to be ok in the end. The warlord gave a small nod of his helm.

“Alright,” the firetruck said. “You can help.” He missed the way Sentinel’s plating relaxed at the confirmation. 

“Yeah, that’s great and all. Now get out of my medbay, _please_. It needs to be in top shape with all of you bots running around!” Ratchet made a ‘ _shoo_ ’-ing motion with his servos, secretly grateful that this standoff was resolved. “Go talk it over in the common area!” Quickly, everybot exited the space, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the old medic’s temper while surgical tools were within reaching distance. Shockwave said a few parting words of luck to Soundwave before terminating the feed. Megatron and Optimus were the last two out of the medbay. 

Megatron didn’t say anything, but he felt the Prime’s anxiety in his field. He was still doubting his decision to allow the chin-wonder to have free reign. The warlord had faith that the Prime knew what he was doing, whether the smaller bot had confidence in himself or not. 

“How did Blitzwing and Lugnut know where to find us, anyway?” Optimus asked, interrupting his thoughts. Megatron’s answer was immediate. 

“As soon as that Prime arrived, I sent a com before Soundwave put up the com-barrier. Couldn’t have you being the hero by fighting them all off, now could I?” The firetruck let out a ‘ _pfft_ ’ of indifference. The warlord smirked while they both continued toward the common area. “But, in all honesty, it was about time they joined us. They know who you are as well, you know,” The Lord said in a calm, if slightly cryptic tone. 

“Oh,” the Prime said. He still couldn’t grasp the fact that he had been somebot of importance once. And that, if he got his memories back, he would gain back all of these emotions towards bots he didn’t know. Towards Megatron.

Before that thought could go any further, the taller bot stopped a little ways from the main room entryway, the Prime stopping with him. He could hear playful shouting and banter from the room, most likely from his own team. “If you would like, I could...tell you some stories. About yourself. If you would like.” The warlord became strangely stiff, but it eased the Prime’s processor a little as he smiled up at him, the Decepticon starting to rush. “I mean, it would probably make you feel better to know that you really aren’t all that different, so when you gain full access to your memory banks you won’t-“

“Sure, I’d like that.” Optimus interrupted.

The Lord halted his vocalizer, resetting it after a moment. “Oh. Excellent.” 

Silence sat between them for a moment as they both looked out into the common area. Optimus’ optics settled on Sentinel as the larger Prime kept his optics on the jettwins, who were engaging with Bumblebee and Sari. A thought popped into his processor. “Actually,” he said, looking back up to his companion. “Could you com somebot for me? I need to take care of something.”

 

—————————

The night was bitter cold. It was the ‘winter’ season in Detroit and the breeze coming off the giant lake wasn’t helping matters. Optimus tried to keep his plating from rattling as his frame tried to keep his energon flowing. On the bright side, he could vaguely pick out the dim stars in the sky from the roof of the warehouse, the light pollution from the city drowning out most of them.

It was an improvement from Cybertron’s skies.

He heard the ‘ _clang-clang-clang’_ of a bot climbing up the stacked warehouse containers to get to the roof. Eventually, a grumbling Sentinel hauled himself over the side of the ledge, muttering something about organic matter as he brushed himself off. 

“Alright. What do you want from me, Optimus? It’s slagging freezing out here!” The larger Prime walked over to Optimus, who was leaning back against the human stairwell entrance, optics directed up at the stars. 

“Well, first, you need to promise me something, Sentinel.” The plow truck just raised a brow ridge. “If you think something stupid, keep your intake shut.” Optimus ignored the ‘ _hey!_ ’ and continued. “And you need to get over your phobia of organics for just a couple of cycles. There is someone I want you to meet, but you can’t judge her by her appearance. Then I need to discuss something important with you both.” 

Sensing the seriousness within Optimus’ tone, Sentinel didn’t say anything about what he thought of organics. Instead, he just gave the Prime a skeptical look. “Why are you making me meet this person?”

“Because trust goes both ways. If I am to trust you, I can’t betray your trust in me. And keeping this a secret would be doing just that.” As if on cue, a black, gold, and purple techno-organic femme landed on the roof of the warehouse from the adjacent overpass. Immediately, Sentinel’s first reaction was to recoil.

“What is the meaning of this, Optimus? Who gave you permission to request _my_ presence?” The spiderformer spat. Her gaze turned to Sentinel, and she scowled as he gazed back.

“Sentinel. This is Blackarachnia.” Optimus invented. “You know her as-“

“Elita?” The larger Prime asked in shock, slowly putting together the pieces, the small frame, the voice... the spiders.

“That is _not_ my designation anymore!” she hissed, stalking forward. “Not after what you left me to become.”

The Elite Guard member went on the defensive while shoving down his shock at seeing her alive, backing up as the femme approached. “That wasn’t me! I wanted to go back for you but Optimus-“

“Yes, I know! It’s my fault, alright!? I get it!” Both turned to the smaller Prime, uncharacteristically silent at his outburst. His optics were dull, half shuttered, frame slouched slightly. He looked tired. “I know and I’m _sorry_. But I know that nothing I say will ever make up for it. But I didn’t bring you both here so we can argue about the blame I’ve already accepted!” He sat down where he stood, almost like he was a puppet with all of his strings cut. And maybe he was. “I just need you both to listen to me for a cycle, alright? Because, like it or not, you’re both going to have to deal with me in the near future.”

Blackarachnia and Sentinel both glanced at each other, then back to Optimus. Not knowing how to deal with the strangely resigned Prime, they both cooperated, sitting down on the rooftop, across from him.

Taking that as his cue to continue, Optimus began explaining himself. “Last solar cycle, my team and I were captured by Soundwave. He was going to try and reprogram us to be Decepticons,” He could tell Sentinel was about to interrupt to comment on the success of that operation, but Optimus continued, interrupting him. “ _But_  before he could, he...found something. Something I had no idea about.” He ex-vented again, bracing himself and getting ready to cut to the chase. “As Sentinel already knows, he found that my spark was not that of the Allspark. At least not the way it should be. When I was onlined, the Autobot Science Division used a spark that Ultra Magnus had ripped out of some other bots frame, and after many terrible experiments, placed it in mine. Due to the memories attached to the spark, they blocked my memory banks with firewalls.” He paused to gauge the two bots’ reactions. They were strangely attentive, wanting to dig out the truth behind Optimus Prime, no doubt. Blackarachnia’s brow ridges furrowed at the mention of his torture by the ASD, but he kept going. “It was only recently that I uncovered the truth behind my onlining. It turns out that I used to be a bot named Orion Pax.” Sentinel knew this but not the significance. Blackarachnia did though, her optics widening in surprise. “I used to be the bonded of Lord Megatron and co-leader of the Decepticons.” That is where the Prime’s explanation ended. There. Quick and easy. He was getting tired of even thinking about it. He gazed back at his two audience members. Sentinel seemed to be tying to piece things together, literal steam churning out of his audials. Blackarachnia was just wide-opticed. Eventually, she spoke up. 

“Wait. You’re Orion Pax? _The_ Orion Pax?”

“You know of him?” ‘ _Me? Whoever?_ ’ The Prime thought. He knew he was long gone before her time with the ‘cons.

“Of course I do! You’re a legend! Do you know what you’ve done for the Decepticon cause?!”

The Prime’s surprised faceplate immediately fell to one of silent anguish. “Actually, no I _don’t_ ,” he said, looking away. The topic of his memory was still touchy, as it would be for anybot. _Actually_ not knowing who you were and what you’ve done was terrifying, in his opinion. Not to mention the fact that he had been separated and shoved into frame after frame for thousands of stellar cycles.

The techno-organic picked up on his somber tone. “Oh...Optimus...the Autobots, they-“

“Yeah, I know,” the Prime said. “I know. Just- just know that I’m going to see this through. Megatron, Soundwave, and Shockwave have been helping me. I didn’t want you wondering why I’m suddenly rolling with the ‘cons or whatever.” He stood to leave. He turned to Sentinel, who was still quiet for once, thinking hard. If he thought any harder, he might blow a circuit. “And since you’re working with us, I just thought you should know.” Blackarachnia looked a bit taken aback by the fact that _Sentinel_ , of all mechs, was willing to work with the ‘cons. She was about to say something about it when Sentinel opened his intake.

“So _that’s_ why the Lord of the Decepticons was at your beck and call!” He looked like he just struck an energon vein. The Prime just looked confused.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I thought it would have been difficult to get Megatron to be willing to work with an Autobot, even if it involved overthrowing the Magnus. I was under the impression that you just showed off some _Prime-ly Charm_ to get him to agree to an arrangement.”

Optimus stared at the larger Prime, intake opening and closing a few times like he was trying to force words to come out of his vocalizer. Eventually, they did. “You thought that I  _seduced_ Lord Megatron into joining me and my _space bridge repair_ _crew_ of _five_?” After another moment of silence as Optimus looked at Sentinels faceplate to see the expression of ‘ _that’s exactly what I thought,_ ’ something snapped inside of him, and he let out the biggest laugh he’s ever produced in a long time. As he let loose for a few clicks, Blackarachnia and Sentinel both stared at each other, both coming to the same conclusion: he’s never laughed like that in front of them before. 

As the Prime came down from his high, venting to release some heat, he spoke once more. “Yeah, like a bot like me could pull something like that off.” He just received two blank stares in return. “What?” he asked, truly confused by his old friends’ exasperation.

“Optimus, old buddy. What do you mean ‘couldn’t pull it off?’ Do you know how many bots back in the Academy would follow you around like lost turbopups just because of your _paint job_?” Sentinel asked, raising a brow ridge.

“Uhh. Can’t say I do?” Optimus was genuinely confused, and the femme bot let out a cackle at the look on his faceplate. 

“Optimus! _Everybot_ wanted to get with you.” The Prime’s blue cheek plates turned five shades darker in his embarrassment. Hating to be the center of attention and being oblivious to his surroundings, he thought it best to make his retreat. “Alright, that’s enough. I’m cold and tired. Goodbye.” He walked toward the ledge, ignoring the playful taunting for him to come back. Yeah, he was pleased it went so well and that they both seemed to be opening up to each other again, but he didn’t want to deal with them tag-teaming him again, _like the good old days_. Sure. 

He jumped off the roof and landed on his peds in the snow, grateful that he didn’t hit a patch of ice. As he stomped back inside, his com pinged with a new message. 

A long-deleted com code. 

As he walked through the entryway to the base with a small smile on his derma, he thought that, maybe, the teasing had been worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’d like to imagine that the entire time megatron was away, lugnut and blitzwing were just sitting in the cave on the ground playing cards
> 
> my hot take on sentinel: i think that sentinel sorta got the shit stick when it came to development in tfa. i know that it’s bc he needs to be the asshole character, cause he is, but i just wanted to flesh out his character a little bit more. he is an egotistical asshole who seems like he cares about no one but himself. I think he uses it to hide his insecurities. but I think if we had a season 4, they would have explored the idea that he just Needs to Succeed to fulfill his own void, except he goes a lot overboard. but I think he would protect people if given the ultimatum


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is rushed and short but yall deserve a chapter
> 
> sorry im at school now so things might be a little slow and i may or may not be incredibly tempted to start writing out another idea

After the debacle of the previous solar cycle, Optimus thought it best to leave the warehouse full of bots to their own devices. Not that it was a good idea, but  _he needed his recharge slaggit!_  So, he walked straight from the front entryway to his berthroom, shoulders sagging as he dragged his peds. He trusted some of the more responsible bots to keep an optic on the younglings for him. As soon as he reached his recharge slab, he collapsed right on top and shutdown for the night.

All this action was too much for his processor and frame to handle.

When he onlined his optics in the morning, his frame still ached, but at least his processor wasn’t swimming from overuse. It was, however, way too early, as his chronometer indicated; the sun hadn’t even risen yet! The Prime knew it was futile to try and get some more rest, though.

Going about his normal routine, he got out of berth, walked down the hallway, and stretched his arms above his helm while arching his back struts. Feeling a few joints ‘ _pop_ ’ and wires tugging against knots, the Prime really took note of how run down he was. 

Too much has happened in so little time. He still didn’t have a plan.

Heaving out an ex-vent while walking into the common area, Optimus braced himself for another mess. What greeted him, however, was something that made the dread in his spark seem a little lighter.

All the bots under his care were spread out around the room. Glaringly obvious was Sentinel, who sat asleep on the left side of the concrete couch. His helm and arms rested against the back with his intake wide open, snoring while he vented. Jetstorm was in a similar position, but sat on the floor with his back strut resting against the couch. Jetfire lied behind him, peds resting over the right arm rest and helm on Sentinel’s thighs. 

Optimus’ derma quirked up into a small smile. At least the twins had the larger Prime to look up to. Even thought his personality was terrible at best, he seemed to really care for these young bots. Perhaps he was serious in his proposition to help.

Apparently, all of these bots had quite the night, as the rest of his team, save for Ratchet, who probably hobbled off to bed cycles ago, didn’t even make it to their own rooms. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were only a few paces away from the couch. The green technician was spread out on his back with the smaller bot sitting up, back resting against Bulkhead’s chassis. Optimus could spot Sari, fast asleep on top of Bulkhead. Prowl slept against the wall, not too far away, arms crossed and helm tilted downwards while his visor was dark. Optimus’ smile grew as he spotted Jazz in an identical position next to him, leaning into the black ninjabot’s shoulder. 

Cute. He liked Jazz. The mech was always willing to put aside differences to learn more about his surroundings; his ragtag team of maintenance bots and organics were only some of the things he became friends with. Apparently this stemmed to Decepticons as well.

Speaking of the ‘cons, Optimus turned his gaze towards the to big bots in the adjacent side of the room. Blitzwing and Lugnut were by no means small. The Prime was surprised their helms didn’t touch the ceiling when they stood up. However, right now they were fast asleep. Lugnut was up against the wall that, surprisingly, held his sheer mass. Blitzwing had his knees drawn up to his chassis, arms crossed on top and chin resting on his arms. 

Two were absent, however. Optimus could guess that Soundwave was in the medbay, either resting and enjoying the solitude, or communicating with Shockwave. The Prime wasn’t too concerned. The surveillance bot had been the first to show his utmost devotion towards him. The thought made the Prime feel strange, but allowed him to come to the conclusion that the bot wasn’t up to anything sinister. 

It was the  _other_  one that gave him the most concern. Megatron, obviously, did what he wanted, morality be damned; this specific topic needed to be discussed. However, these past two solar cycles, the Lord more or less blended into the background, only ever offering input when it came to Optimus. It was strange, but not unwelcome, to be in his presence and not be fighting for your life.  Now, however, he was no where to be seen. He could have been in the medbay with Soundwave or taking a flight. Or maybe he’d grown bored an left for good. 

Optimus tried to ignore the ache in his spark at thought, but he couldn’t. They were linked now, in this together, whether Optimus or Megatron liked it or not; there was no going back. 

The firetruck shook away his train of thought. He had too much to think about already, and he didn’t need to add this to the stack. First and foremost, they all needed a plan.

Deciding it best to let the other bots rest, Optimus made his way outside. The morning chill was brutal, and he couldn’t see the stars anymore against the lightening sky. The cold and fresh air running though his vents helped wake him up a little more, clearing his processor of unnecessary worries for the moment. Climbing up the stacks of crates and containers, he made his way back onto the roof. He walked over to the center and sat with his legs crossed, servos on his knees, and optics offlined. He vented.

Once, Optimus asked Prowl to teach him how to meditate. The patient ninjabot was all too happy to help, sitting down with the Prime every few solar cycles, whenever he thought the team leader needed it. Optimus was surprised how effective it was at clearing his processor.

Right now, however, he just couldn’t focus enough to get to a meditative state. The air was just on the wrong side of tolerable, the few cars on the highway this early in the cycle kept wizzing by the warehouse, and the ache left in his chassis distracted him too much. He vented again, more akin to a frustrated sigh. This wasn’t working. And he needed it to work; he couldn’t  _think_  like this!

Optimus onlined his optics, scanning his surroundings. The sky was a little lighter now, the sun about to peak above the horizon. 

“It is much too cold to be out here, you know.”

Optimus physically jumped where he sat, whirling around to set surprised optics on the intruder he didn’t even hear coming. His gaze then turned into a glare as it landed on Megatron, the smug afthead. The Decepticon stood where he had climbed up on the roof.

The Prime scowled, but to the ‘con, it looked more like a pout on his derma, causing the Lord to smirk in amusement. That just caused Optimus’ frown to deepen. “I’m glad this amuses you,” he said flatly.

“Oh, Optimus, it is much too easy, really,” Megatron teased as he approached the seated Prime. Once there, he sat down next to Optimus, in a similar cross-legged position. He ignored the skeptical gaze that the smaller bot threw his way. “Why are you out here anyway? Your small frame couldn’t possible take these temperatures for long periods of time.”

Ignoring the jab, Optimus deflected the question. “I could ask the same of you.” 

“I heard you climb up on the roof. I thought you could use some company.” He paused. “If you were alright with it, that is.”

Optimus stalled. “Oh, uh, yeah. It’s no problem.” He still couldn’t get a read on this situation. This was the Lord of the Decepticons, for Primus sake! All the slag he’s done in the name of the Decepticon cause, not to mention trying to offline him and his team for the last servo-full of lunar cycles! Now, he is suddenly cooperative? Not trying to destroy their sparks? Yes, he knew they had history. Yes, he knew the Autobots have done some equally terrible things, but the past cannot be erased. It went against everything he stood for.

Due to his inner turmoil, silence spread between the two. Optimus had his unseeing optics glued to the horizon, too lost in his own sudden thoughts. Megatron, too, was gazing in the same direction, optics flickering toward the Prime to make sure he was alright. 

Eventually, the warlord spoke up. “Something is bothering you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question because he already knew. He could feel the Prime’s anxieties through his EM field. The only indication that he was heard was Optimus’ optics coming into focus, but he stayed silent. 

“Why?” Optimus whispered eventually. “Why are you being so kind, so understanding.”

“You are-“

“I know what I am.” He interrupted. “Or at least, what I’m supposed to be. But that doesn’t excuse these last lunar cycles.” Slowly, Optimus was loosing his composure. “We’ve been fighting for lunar cycles. You and your bots have tried to  _destroy_  me and my team, the mechs I care about, for  _lunar cycles!_  I can’t just ignore that!” He finally turned his helm to look the ‘con in the optics, who was surprised enough to let the Prime continue. “I don’t get it. How can you act as if everything is fine?” Optimus turned his helm away and stopped to take a vent, processor whirling again with too many thoughts. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Megatron decided to say his piece.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” The warlord spoke slowly, delicately. Optimus knew he was trying to be sincere. “I know the things that I’ve done are against your morals, against _Orion’s_  morals. He would have hated all that I’ve done.  _You_  hate all that I’ve done.” He paused, thinking of his next words carefully, intensely gazing at the horizon. The sun was just starting to rise. “But I will say this. There is nothing I regret more than raising a servo against you and your team. Yes, I didn’t know who you were at the time, but, despite your training, you were civilians and I should have known that. Blinded by my rage, I put the safety of civilians to the back of my processor, and I know that, were you to get your memories back, you would be extremely disappointed in me.” He ex-vented. “However, I will not apologize for destroying Autobot troops for all that they have done in the past.”

That caused Optimus to snap his helm back to Megatron, about to protest. Megatron turned and stared back with a challenging gaze, voice becoming slightly harsh. “They took away everything I cared about. They murdered for the sake of their council. They demeaned the Decepticon cause as a war caused by mindless war machines seeking power rather than the oppressed mecha that we were. The Magnus wanted brutes, and that is what we gave them. They got what they deserved.” Then he paused and his gaze softened. “But not you. Not your team. You just want freedom, the true meaning of the Decepticon cause, before it all came crashing down; the right to be whoever you want to be. And if I’m being honest with myself, you’ve intrigued me from the very start.” 

Megatron leaned closer to the little Prime. He held out a large dark servo. Optimus tore his gaze away from the Lord to look at the offered appendage. After a moment, he hesitantly placed his own on top, vaguely marveling at their difference in size. Megatron then grasped it gently, contrasting his size and strength while he continued. “I am truly sorry for all that I have done to you and your team. Know that I will do everything in my power to stay by your side, help you win this fight, and set the universe right again. If you will have me, that is.” 

Optimus was stunned by the tenderness in the warlord’s optics. No bot has ever spoken to him in such a manner, as if he was the center of their universe. He knew that it was mostly because he was Megatron’s dead love, but he felt like that gaze was just for  _him_ ; for Optimus Prime, the small, washout Academy bot with a spark full of unrealized potential.

He felt warm.

“Yes,” he said without realizing what came out of his vocalizer. Then he snapped out of his daze. “Uh, I mean, you know there is a chance that this doesn’t work, right? That I won’t get my memories back...” He tried not to feel dread at the thought of never gaining access to a part of his processor forever; never learning who he was truly supposed to be. “What happens if I can’t be the bot you think I am?” he asked, shifting his gaze away from the bigger bot, only to have it snap back when he heard a chuckle. 

Megatron raised the smaller servo, still resting in his own, to his faceplate. He gently placed a soft kiss onto the back of it, causing Optimus’ cheek plates to darken in a blush of embarrassment and surprise. “Oh, Optimus. You needn’t worry about your hidden memories changing who you are. You’re still the same kind and selfless bot you once were. And I can still see your old self in your optics, your beauty, and your intelligence. I know for a fact that your new frame and upbringing didn’t change a thing.” 

The Prime flushed even darker at the words coming out of the Lord’s vocalizer, not to mention the ease it brought to his spark and processor. Perhaps he didn’t need to worry about what he would become. You couldn’t change the true nature of the spark, after all- and oh, Megatron grew awfully close with every compliment. He was still holding his servo delicately, as if it would break, and Optimus’ spark fluttered. He could feel the heat from his flight engine, keeping him warm in the bitter cold. He vaguely noted the red and orange hues reflecting off of their plating due to the rising sun. 

This was awfully romantic and cliche. 

His spark told him to get closer, to let himself be held and protected by the warlord. It told him that things were going to be okay. It told him that this was right, and for once, Optimus really wanted to listen to his spark. 

Taking his chance, he leaned up towards the Decepticon. Megatron’s red optics gazed softly into his blue, both distracted in their little bubble. 

So distracted, however, that they didn’t even notice the sound of another flight engine until it got too close. 

Suddenly, Optimus was snatched right out of Megatron’s arms. The Prime was so surprised, he could only gasp in shock as he was gripped around his chassis and hauled far up into the air. ‘ _Ok, grounders were_ not _meant to be in the sky_ ,” he thought as his processor swam from the height. A sudden cackling filed his audials.

“Aha! The  _glorious_  Lord Megatron has gone soft has he!?” Of course it was Starscream. The bot hadn’t been spotted in solar cycles, and he had the knack for showing up at the most inopportune moments.

“Starscream!” Optimus finally focused his optics to see Megatron hovering a good distance away. His thrusters were engaged, faceplate twisted into a scowl, dentae bared. “Release him at once!”

“If you say so!” he said in a sing-song voice before releasing the Prime. Optimus panicked as he started to fall, only to be caught again by the seeker, who grabbed him by the ped. 

‘ _Alright, this is just humiliating_ ,’ the Prime thought. He looked back toward Megatron, now upside down with a look of uncharacteristic panic on his faceplate, arm reached out as if trying to catch him from that distance. And then, he heard distant shouting from the ground. His team and the rest of the bots must have awoken to the commotion and come to see what was happening. 

“Ah, we have an audience! Spectacular! Now they can watch as I not only slag the leader of the Decepticons for being a  _traitor_ , but their own little leader as well.”

Megatron tried to get closer, only for Starscream to aim his blasters at him. He couldn’t be too rash or else he could be shot and have no chance of catching Optimus in time. “Starscream. You have no idea what is going on. You need to let him down-“

“Of course I know what’s going on!” The seeker was getting angry, though there was uncharacteristic emotion in the declaration. “You are a traitor to the Decepticon cause! I expect a lot of slag from you, but being an Autobot sympathizer is not one of them.” He glared harshly at the Lord and spoke in a low, scathing tone. “We may despise each other, but you are the  _last_  bot I would expect to throw away all that we have worked for to become one of them. You disgrace him by doing this!” 

The last accusation caught Optimus’ attention. Him? He couldn’t mean-

“First, you let the  _only one_  who has ever cared about me offline! Now you destroy his memory all for what? These Autobots?!” Starscream grit his dentae. “You will all pay dearly for this.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay
> 
> also remember you can find me @sp-aceace on tumblr if you wanna yell at me to write goddamnit


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyyyyy its 2 am and this isnt proofread love u allll
> 
> yall are still so sweet thank you for the comments! and also rise of the tmnt is a good showw yall should watch

The tension in the air was similar to one of those old Earth movies; the hero and antagonist facing off on a hot afternoon with sand blowing in the wind, nobody moving.

However, the main differences here were that this stand-off took place at six o’clock in the morning Earth-time, a couple hundred feet in the air, and it was _slagging freezing_.

Not to mention that the antagonist decided to take a hostage. 

Optimus didn’t know when he started thinking of his life as a cliche Earth film, but he knew it probably had something to do with all the energon likely rushing to his processor.

Megatron better hurry the slag up before the deranged seeker decides to let go and he plummets to the ground.

“Starscream!” But if he kept yelling like an idiot, he might not be so lucky as to feel his peds on the ground again. “If you would just listen, I could explain to you the situation!”

“You can’t excuse your way out of it this time, Megatron!” Now it was a screaming match between a stubborn afthead and a bot who literally had ‘ _scream_ ’ in his name. “I’ll make sure you pay for all you have done. And what better way than to start with the little Autobot you betrayed your faction for!” 

Suddenly brought out of his fuzzed processor, Optimus didn’t have any time to register the declaration before he was lifted higher by the servo gripping his ped. All of a sudden he couldn’t vent. Starscream used his right servo to grip him around the neck, flipping the Prime upright and hauling him higher. Optimus’ panic increased as he scrambled to remove the punishing grip. He froze as soon as he heard the seeker’s left arm-mounted blaster online. 

“And I wouldn’t suggest coming any closer, unless you want me to put a new hole in his chassis.”

Optimus tried to catch a glimpse of Megatron, only seeing his angry panicked expression.

Megatron was at an unusual loss of what to do. He was too far away to catch the seeker by surprise with an attack, and if he shot at the him with his fusion cannon, Starscream wouldn’t hesitate to shoot first. He had enough faith in Lugnut and Blitzwing to catch Optimus in case Starscream _did_ let go of the Prime.

But none of that would matter if Optimus was gray before he even hit the ground. The ‘con also didn’t want to reveal the truth while Optimus was one shot away from offlining. Knowing Starscream, he wouldn’t believe the Lord and kill the Prime on site. He had to think of something, quick.

With his peds dangling above nothingness and fear in this spark, Optimus was reminded of his first few Earth weeks awake in Detroit. He remembered the stress, the wind, and his iron grip, slipping. He remembered falling and falling and falling and pain. And then nothing.

Then, he remembered something: his spark reigniting in his chassis, his favorite small, charming organic sitting on top of him, smiling, yet crying. 

Optimus never wanted to feel that pain again, so he renewed his struggle against the seeker’s grip. He winced at the claws digging into his neck cables as Starscream tightened his grip

Why wasn’t Megatron _doing_ anything?

The Prime struggled to turn his helm towards the warlord. He looked like he was caught between holding back just a little longer to try and convince him to stand down or saying ‘ _Frag it_ ’ and attacking the seeker, damn the consequences. 

‘ _Tell him!’_ Optimus thought. ‘ _Just tell him!’_

Megatron seemed to understand his pleading gaze, but he was still hesitant.

Before he could come to a conclusion, however, Starscream brought the Prime closer.

“You know, I would say it’s nothing personal, but it is,” he said in his usual leery tone. “However, I won’t fault you for being sparked Autobot scum, but I _am_ going to give you a little piece of advice.”The seeker raised his other arm, blaster aimed to pierce his sparkchamber. “When a bot kills you,” His sneer turned into a deadly scowl. “ _stay offline._ ”

The blaster started to hum with an increase in energy, and Optimus’ optics widened. He started to thrash harder against the ‘con, trying to tear off the servo around his neck. He felt drips energon run down his cables from the seeker’s claws. His frame was heating up due to lack of venting and his struggling, and in his moment of panic, he froze in the face of his demise.

“No!” he heard Megatron yell. The blaster kept increasing in charge. “Stop this nonsense, you’ve no idea what you are doing!”

“Of course I do!” the seeker said, blaster still charging, nearly at full power for an efficient kill. Mercy, really. “I’m ridding the universe of the two biggest thorns in my side. Now if you don’t mind,” He got ready to fire. “Say goodbye, Autobot-“ 

“Starscream, that is Orion, you idiot!” Megatron finally, _finally_ let it spill. 

And for a moment it seemed to work. Optimus didn’t feel any pain, besides the grip on his neck. His spark still pulsed, no hole blasted through his chassis. He looked at Starscream’s faceplate to see his shocked expression staring back. His baster was still online, aimed at his sparkchamber. 

Despite the wind and the hum of flight engines, everything seemed tense and silent. The seekers grip even seemed to relax slightly, blaster arm lowering by a fraction. He looked conflicted. 

“You…you lie,” the ‘con whispered and the silence was shattered in an instant. The harsh grip on his back was back and Starscream snapped his helm to glare at Megatron, pointing at the Lord in accusation with his free servo. “ _You lie!_ ”

Falling back on his battle training, Optimus took his moment out of the line of fire as an opportunity. He grabbed the servo that was clutching him. Swinging his peds up, he used both to kick harshly at the ‘cons chassis, pushing him away. Then, he swung out his right leg to knock the seeker’s left arm away to further prevent getting shot. 

The attack surprised Starscream enough that he loosened his servo around Optimus’ neck. The Prime let go and he was falling. The chill rushing past his frame as he plummeted towards the ground made him feel numb. He looked up. The seeker looked about ready to pursue, and that’s when Megatron decided to crash into him from the side, sending both of them tumbling through the air. Optimus watched them grapple with a sort of detached interest. He felt like his consciousness was outside of his frame, like this wasn’t really happening. He stayed facing the sky, deciding that it would be best if he didn’t see his own demise rushing up to meet him. Instead, he focused on the battle happening above him, almost in slow motion, fascinated at Megatron’s efficient handling of the seeker. The Lord looked ready to commit murder, but Optimus secretly hoped that he wouldn’t. Starscream seemed just as effected by the death of Orion Pax, from what he could gather. 

‘ _Why are all Decepticons so emotionally constipated?_ ’

That specific train of thought was abruptly ended by the jarring force of being caught midair. Optimus let out an ‘ _oof_ ’ as the air was knocked out of his pipes, but he was grateful that these arms had a little bit of recoil, as opposed to the unforgiving concrete. He scrambled to latch onto the bot carrying him, looking up from his horizontal position to meet the dark face of Blitzwing. 

“Silly little Prime!” he giggled in his staticky voice. “Grounders can’t fly!”

Despite himself, Optimus huffed out a laugh. “You’re telling me.”

The triple-changer just continued to giggle as he decreased his thrusters, lowering them to the ground. The ‘con set him on his peds and was kind enough to hold on to the Prime until he got his bearings. Immediately, his team ran over. 

“Bossbot! Are you ok?” The green technician lumbered over to him, Sari not too far behind.

“Yeah, what happened out here, big guy?” the girl asked.

“Those were some move,” Prowl complimented from a small distance, trying not to crowd.

A little off to his side, Bumblebee smiled and thunked Blitzwing on the arm. “Nice catch, Blitzbrain!”

The triple-changer’s faceplate gave a ‘ _whirrr_ ’ as it settled on his calmer persona. He looked at the yellow minibot smiling up at him and then looked away, as if embarrassed. “I was just doing my duty, _bug_.” He walked away to stand in the back of the gathered crowd. 

Suddenly, Ratchet yelled from the back. “Alright! Give ‘im some space, would ya? The kid just nearly died, for Primus sake!” As soon as all the younger bots retreated, the fearsome medic stomped forward towards the firetruck. “You alright, kid? Any pain?” he asked while already trying to scan the young bot. 

Optimus put up both of his servos in a placating gesture, backing off a few steps, hiding the shiver in his plating and the engergon dripping down his neck. This could wait. “I’m fine Ratchet. Really. I’m more worried about-“

There was a loud ‘ _crash_ ’ behind him, causing the Prime to jump. He whirled around while everyone else stared at the clearing dust cloud. 

Starscream, currently covered in concrete rubble, groaned as he tried to get up. 

Megatron landed a few meters from the impact, scowl on his face and fusion cannon at full power. He had his fair share of dents and scratches, but the warlord paid them no mind. He stalked forward, ready to end this all right here. 

The seeker saw this coming and tried to backpedal away on his servos and peds, whimpering like he didn’t just try to murder Optimus literal nanoclicks ago.

But, luckily Optimus had morals to live up to and knew this had to stop. “Megatron, that’s enough,” he said in his most commanding voice possible. This caught the Lord’s attention, helm snapping towards the Prime. “Come on. I heard what he said.” He crossed his arms and put on his best ‘ _I’m about to be very disappointed in you_ ’ expression. “He deserves the truth, just like every other bot here.”

Megatron looked like he was about to protest when the seeker interrupted him first, climbing to his peds pointing his blasters at the Lord and the Prime once more. “ _Do not mock me_ , Autobot. I know what you are,” he hissed, arm mounts humming online. 

Megatron then looked at Optimus. He looked like he was debating the ‘ _I told you so_ ’ route or the ‘ _shoot-first-debate-ethics-later_ ’ route. The latter seemed to be his usual style. 

Now that he actually could talk properly, Optimus tried to reason with the seeker. “Starscream, I know this is confusing. No one knows that more than I do, but you need to listen to me-“

“I will never listen to you, _scum._ ” Optimus just felt like rolling his optics. “Now, prepare to offline!”

The firetruck felt the bots around him tense. He, however, wasn’t worried as much as he was when suspended in the air. He was sufficiently far away enough from the seeker’s blaster that, sure, the shot would hurt like slag, but it wasn’t pressed up against his sparkchamber. And it wouldn’t hit anybot standing behind him because, believe it or not, the seeker had impeccable aim when he was determined enough. 

However, before he could even think about bracing himself for the shot, a streak of energy and wind seemed to fly by the Prime, and the next thing he heard was a shout of pain and surprise from Starscream. 

The streak latched onto the jet’s servo aimed at the Prime and yanked it back behind him, doing the same with the one aimed at Megatron. In a blur, the seeker was down on his knees, frozen by a pair of stasis cuffs latched around his wrists. Optimus could only cycle his optics in shock.

Suddenly, there was a ‘ _skirrrrt_ ’ as the high speed object braked in front of the group. Standing up straight from a running position, a bot only about a helm taller than their resident speedster, stood, ped tires smoking. He looked around at the strange crew of Autobots and Decepticons. As soon as his gaze landed on Optimus, he immediately turned towards him, back struts snapping straight, servo against his forehelm in a salute.

“Optimus Prime, sir,” he spoke in a slight nasally tone. “Under the request of Longarm Prime, I’m Agent Blurr, reporting for duty!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wont hesitate bitchh


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not much but i wanted to post what i had written down cause its been a little bit
> 
> your comments keep me going! i love the feedback and encouragement <3

Bumblebee, incapable being silent for more than five minutes, was the first to speak up. “Hey, wait a minute!” He exclaimed, stomping forward. “You’re the blue racer!”

Immediately, Blurr dropped out of his military stance. The bot ex-vented and rolled his optics. “Yes, that _was_ me, and thanks to you, my cover was almost blown.” 

The yellow minibot glared up at the speed-racer and crossed his arms. “I seem to recall me and Sari _saving_ your aft from being controlled by that greasy human.”

“And _I_ do not recall asking for help thankyouverymuch-“

Before Bumblebee could tackle the bot, Optimus decided that he needed his own questions answered first. “Agent Blurr, was it?” He interrupted, just as Prowl came up behind Bumblebee and covered his intake with his servo. The Prime heard the bot’s muffled curses and fought the urge to sigh. 

Blurr focused back on the firetruck and straightened his posture. “That is correct, sir.”

Deciding to ignore his insistence on using the honorific, Optimus continued. “Well, not that I’m _not_ grateful for your help, but what exactly are you doing here? You said Sh- ah Longarm Prime sent you?”

“That is correct.” Blurr began pacing back and forth in contemplation. He tucked one servo behind his back while the other was brought to his chin. “I was originally sent here to monitor the whereabouts of the Allspark fragments, the Decepticons, and your team. That order was given to me by the High Autobot Council, which I thought was strange because I was under the impression that you and your team had the situation under control. Come to think of it, the orders I received were quite adamant that I hide my presence on this planet, despite the fact that it would have been more beneficial to work together. But then I just disregarded the suspicion because, hey. These bots don’t exactly have the most functioning processors. I mean, all they are, are just glorified upperclass sitting in big chairs. It’s not as if they are tacticians-” 

A quick glance around at the gathered bots told Optimus that he wasn’t the only one desperately trying to understand the blue bot as his vocalizer continued to ramp up in speed. Even Megatron, who had decided to join them moments before, looked slightly baffled at the sheer amount of words escaping the speedster’s intake. The Lord had picked up Starscream by his arm and allowed him enough movement to walk. The seeker just stared at Blurr and seemed just as hypnotized as every other bot.

“Knowing what I know now, I understand their want to keep you monitored at all times, especially in the presence of Decepticons and Megatron, himself. Of course, it’s not as if I agree with them and all that they have done. Quite the opposite actually-“ 

Optimus managed to catch that last little bit of information and was about to stop the bot when, thankfully, Blurr quit pacing and stopped himself. “But _anyway_ -“ He didn’t even seem out of breath. “I recently received a transmission from Longarm Prime. He explained the situation, and I agreed to help.” 

Silence finally permeated the surroundings. Everybot was trying their damnedest to comprehend the volume of information just shoved into their processors. 

Taking this as his moment to escape Prowl’s grasp, Bumblebee tore the offending servo off of his intake and broke out of the ninja’s hold. He crossed his arms and tapped his ped in impatience. “So like…that’s _it_?” he asked, just as confused as the rest of them.

“I fail to understand what you mean,” Blurr replied.

“What I mean is, there wasn’t any kicking? Screaming? Any sort of protest against betraying the Autobots? Slag, you’re just as high and mighty as Sentinel. At least he put up a little bit of a fight,” he said, then dropped off into a murmur. “Though, not much of one, not gonna lie.” He ignored the distant ‘ _Hey!_ ’ from the taller Prime. “But I find it hard to believe that you were eager to join out merry band of misfits when Longarm came a-calling. So, what exactly do you have staked in this plan?” He was full on glaring at the taller bot now, leaning forward to seem more intimidating, which he was not. 

However, he was asking important questions that Optimus really wanted answered. The blue bot met Bumblebee’s glare with his own.

“That isn’t any of your concern-“

Just as he said that, the minibot’s frown turned into a devious smirk. “You have a crush on Longarm don’t you?” Optimus physically slapped his servo to his face. The other bots, who had spent plenty of time on Earth, just groaned in annoyance. 

The Decepticons and their new ex-Autobot arrival’s looked just as confused as before. Sentinel, taking this as his opportunity, glanced over at Optimus. “You seem to have this under control, buddy. I’m gonna leave it to you.” He lead Jetfire and Jetstorm back into the base, and Optimus didn’t even acknowledge their departure, to busy wondering if it was too late to release Starscream and resume their fight. 

Unfortunately, the yellow bot took the silence as permission to continue. “You know, you both have spent quite a lot of time together. I’m sure he has a crush on you too.”

“Bumblebee-“ Optimus tried to interrupt, but, as usual, Blurr was too quick.

“Um. I assure you I don’t want to _crush_ Longarm.” He looked completely befuddled as to what the minibot meant. “And despite the long cycles working together in intelligence, I’m sure he doesn’t want to _crush_ me either-”

“Well, I think this is a conversation that can resume inside,” the Prime interrupted. He threw an exasperated look at Bumblebee. “In _private_.” The yellow bot shrugged, giving the Prime a look that said ‘ _fine by me_ ’ and followed the other bots inside. It was still cold despite the risen sun, and Optimus desperately wanted to warm up inside after free-falling a couple hundred feet. The poor bot hadn’t caught a break in solar cycles. If he was being honest with himself, he had never had a break in his entire functioning. 

‘ _In this frame, at least._ ’ He thought.

And that idea opened up another set of problems. 

Despite the surprisingly kind words from Megatron and his own logic module telling him that the ‘con was _right_ , Optimus still dwelled on the question of ‘ _What will happen when I get my memories back?_ ’ So many possibilities ran through the Prime’s processor at any given moment. Would his current conciseness be shutdown, and would he emerge as a completely different bot, continuing from where he left off in his past frame? Or would the memories just _be_ there, allowing him to maintain who he was now? Would his past experiences change how he thought or what he believed in? What about his emotional attachments? Would his love for his team change? And with the other Decepticons? Orion seemed to be an important figure in their lives. Would he suddenly feel affection for the ‘cons he only distantly got along with now? 

What about _Megatron_? Would he be happy and affectionate or would he be seething and angry, like the lord predicted? What would it feel like to look at a bot that you used to despise with your whole being and then wake up and think ‘ _he is my home?_ ’

Whenever the Prime had a moment of peace, to be alone inside of his helm, the questions and doubts ran through processor at a rapid speed. They were _always_ there in the back of his helm, and he _never gets a break_ and-

“Optimus.” 

The firetruck snapped out of his thoughts, optics coming back into focus. He glanced at the bot who said his name. Megatron stared back, face neutral, but there was something in his gaze that conveyed understanding. He still gripped Starscream by the arm, leading him into the warehouse. 

‘ _I know what you’re thinking, and remember what I told you,_ ’ he could imagine the ‘con saying. 

Optimus turned his helm away. The rest of his team was staring at him as well. The Prime had stopped in the entryway of the base without a word. They all looked concerned, Ratchet just about ready to drag the taller bot to the medbay. 

Optimus just ex-vented. “Blurr, to the medbay. You too, Megatron. We need Starscream. Everyone else, stay here.” He turned to walk towards their destination. Ratchet followed, and the Prime knew better than to protest; it was his medbay after all, but he knew that wasn’t why he decided to tag along. 

The short walk was strangely silent, Blurr and Starscream apparently waiting for privacy to ask their most pressing questions, the latter resigning himself to being bot-handled by Megatron.

Optimus was grateful.

Once they reached the entryway, the Prime rolled the door up, allowing everyone inside. Once they were all accounted for, he sealed off the entrance, effectively giving them the privacy he wanted. Now, he could finally take his time, only a handful of bots for an audience; no obnoxious Primes to shut up or angry ‘cons with free mobility.

Walking fully into the room revealed that this is where Soundwave had been hiding during this whole escapade. That caught the seeker’s attention.

“Oh, so I supposed you’ve recruited the whole Deception armada to betray your own faction-“

“Lord Megatron: not betraying faction,” Soundwave interrupted. “Lord Megatron: _saving_ faction.”

“In other words,” Ratchet grumbled from the opposite side of the room, moving to stand next to medical console. “Shut your vocalizer.”

The seeker’s optics glared at the medic as he hissed. “Why you _wretched_ -“

“ _Enough._ ” The warlord cut off Starscream’s predictable rant. “It’s like dealing with sparklings, the both of you,” he said in monotone. He heard the seeker growl and try to struggle in his grip while he braced himself to dodge an anticipatory wrench. Luckily, his favorite little Prime decided to deescalate the situation. 

“Alright- _Ratchet_. Put that down we don’t have _time_ for this.” Optimus ex-vented, something he couldn’t help but do regularly these last few solar cycles. “We need to address a few things here. First off, Blurr, you said you had correspondence with Longarm Prime, correct? And he already gave you the details of the situation?”

The blue bot snapped to attention once again. “That is correct, sir.”

“So, I’m assuming you already know of his identity.” Blurr nodded. Seeing as there was no hesitation, Optimus knew there was no confusion over what ‘identity’ he was talking about. “When was the last time you were in contact with him?”

“Just at the beginning of this solar cycle, sir. I actually have a message to give to you. That is why I had come to seek you out in the first place.”

A message? While the Prime was grateful for Blurr’s assistance that morning, he was confused as to why Shockwave sent a whole bot instead of just contacting Soundwave via the console. ‘ _Has his position been compromised?_ ’ the Prime thought as he began to worry. “What was this message, Blurr?”

“He said to tell you that the situation on Cybertron is escalating. He wants you to contact him as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he said he had to get off-planet quickly, and he couldn’t tell me any more, so I am assuming that his position was compromised. This is the long-range com-code he gave to me.” He sent the ping to Optimus and Soundwave. “And you’re going to need me to help extend the signal because I doubt that, wherever he is now, it has the appropriate signal boosters that Cybertron has. He was luckily able to reach me-.” The mech was already over to the console that Soundwave was standing at. The surveillance bot, almost working as fast as Blurr, input the com-code and silently handed the speedster a cable to plug into the communications module. Following the wordless command, Blurr connected to the console and sent the transmission. 

The entire medbay was quiet as the console displayed the attempt to make a connection. Had he any processing space to take in the moment, Optimus would have marveled at the low hum of energy pulsing along the point of Blurr’s helm. His ability to pick up even the weakest of signals was fascinating; a true intelligence bot.

However, Shockwave might have been just a little too far out of range. But then, just as it seemed that no one was going to pick up the signal, the console screen gave a ‘ _hiss_ ’ of static, and the faceplate of Shockwave popped up on the screen. 

“Oh _finally_. I thought you were never going to call.” The bot looked as relieved as he could with one glowing red optic. “I was under the impression that something had gone wrong.”

Every bot moved a little closer to the screen, Megatron and Optimus taking the forefront while the lord still gripped the seeker. He ignored the low, redundant mutter of ‘ _every bot in the armada_ ’ as he addressed tank. 

“Shockwave. We are under the impression that _you_ are the one needing assistance.”

“Yes, my lord. I have- uh unfortunately been compromised. I was forced to evacuate the planet immediately while I still could.” His thin antler-like finials bent backwards. “I managed to commandeer a shuttle, and I’m in interplanetary space at the moment. I assume Blurr is there with you?”

Upon hearing his designation, Blurr immediately affirmed his presence. “Yes, sir. I am right here.”

That seemed to set the undercover bot slightly at ease, shoulder struts relaxing as his finials perked up. “Ah, good. Thank you, Agent Blurr, for taking this risk. I couldn’t have done it without you.” The blue bot gave a small smile at the gratitude.

This time, Optimus decided to take the control of the conversation. “You mentioned in your message that the situation on Cybertron is getting worse. What else has happened?”

“Honestly, not much has happened. There has been a large decrease in public protest and decent, basically because they fear the Elite Guard and physical repercussions. However, the attitude and conditions on the planet only worsen. There is still a lack of sufficient energon because of working conditions. The lower and middle class are now looking at the upper with distaste. There is too much tension in the air.” The bot ex-vented. “To be honest, I’m glad I got out of there when I did. I was able to track the ASD’s monitoring of everybot to know that it was only a matter of time before they discovered me.”

“So, you’re currently on your way to Earth, right?” He tried not to sound anticipatory. First and foremost, he wanted the bot to be safe; he helped discover the truth about the Prime, after all. But also, with Shockwave came the deactivation codes, and Optimus couldn’t take the strain of doubt and fear anymore. 

“Well, yes. In theory, at least.” The Prime and the warlord raised a brow ridge simultaneously. “You see, I only managed to snag a small shuttle during my escape. It is sturdy enough for space travel but doesn’t come equipped with a space bridge function or a warp drive. I am, however, near a bridge on the outskirts of the territory.” Optimus felt that he knew where this was going. “My lord, if I am to make it to Earth, I am going to need you to finish that space bridge you were constructing.” 

_That_ , however, blindsided the Prime. He immediately turned his helm toward the Deception Lord.

“Your _what?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> op bout to bust a fuel line
> 
> chapter title: overuse of italics


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ones short and bad but i wanted to post so here u are aaa  
> happy late v-day i love u all and ur comments <3
> 
> no mean jokes today i swear

Blurr glanced nervously around the room, trying to decipher if this was a normal occurrence or not.

“-you had a space bridge this  _whole time,_  and you didn’t bother telling me about it-!?”

“A bridge that does not function-“

“ _Do not_  interrupt me-“

The speedster was really at a loss of what to do. The medic on the opposite side of the console rolled his optics towards the ceiling of the medbay. Blurr could just make out the low curse of ‘ _I’m too old for this slag_ ’ as he crossed his arms. 

Soundwave took in the situation silently. He turned back to the console to address Shockwave, who looked slightly distressed. His antennas were pinned back, looking sheepish. “I realize now that some things might not have been discussed in the few solar cycles we’ve been in contact.”

“Ya think?” Ratchet grumbled. He walked over to Starscream, who was deposited on the floor where Megatron dropped him. The warlord had uncharacteristically panicked when the Prime began to advance on him with a fierce look in his optics. Currently, he was slowly backing up as Optimus kept stepping forward, sharp words flying out of his intake almost as fast as Blurr’s.

“-and just what were you thinking, building a  _space bridge_  near a  _populated city?!_  If built incorrectly, the consequences would be catastrophic! But you wouldn’t know that because you’re not a space bridge technician! And do you know who are the only bots that are allowed to build space bridges?  _Space bridge technicians-_ “

Ratchet used his magnets to haul the baffled seeker towards the console. “Let’s just get this over with.” Shockwave was about to inquire about the Prime and Megatron when the medic beat him to it. “Just let him run out of steam. The kid deserves it.”

“Were you planning on finishing the bridge and not telling me? And what were you planning to do, use the space bridge to storm Cybertron? Did you even  _have_  a plan? Or were you just going to waltz through the bridge and see what happened-” He cut himself off when Megatron had the audacity to look nervous while shifting his optics away from the firetruck.

“Oh god. Oh  _fuck_ \- you  _were_  going to do that, weren’t you-!“ Everyone, except for Ratchet, stared at the Prime, confused by the strange curse. The ambulance addressed the bot on the vid-screen. “Transfer the files over, and we’ll show them to Starscream. We need to get this show on the road, and I have a feeling he’s gonna take a while,” he said, gesturing vaguely behind him. That caught Starscream’s attention.

“Show me what?” he hissed in his usual grating tone. “I don’t want any of your Autobot propaganda! I won’t let you brainwash me like you did that afthead over there-  _ow_! What the slag is wrong with you, you crotchety old-“

“Say one more word, and I’ll give you another,” Ratchet threatened, wrench clutched in his servo, ready to deliver another wack to the seeker’s helm.

Just then, the desired files pinged up on the screen. Soundwave sent them to the seeker, so he could pull them up on his HUD. 

“We need everyone onboard with this situation if we are to conduct this plan of yours, Shockwave. And Starscream,” The medic walked behind the seeker, unlatching the stasis cuffs. He managed to pull himself into a standing position despite his previously limited mobility. “You’re just gonna need to trust us, alright.” 

Starscream looked like he was about to object once more while rubbing his wrists to rid them of their ache. Then he glanced over at the bickering bots on the other side of the room, his gaze lingering on the fuming Prime.

“Fine,” he spat and accessed the documents, displaying them on his HUD.

 

“Do you have any idea how many civilians would have gotten caught in the crossfire?! Merchants and transport ships and couriers use those bridges every cycle. Not to mention the entire  _Elite Guard-“_ Optimus had his servos clenched by his sides as if ready to throw a punch. By now, he had backed the warlord up against the wall. The ‘con kept trying to calm the firetruck down, receiving no help from the other bots in the room, but Optimus was too wound up to listen to reason. All of his bottled up emotions were pushing him past rational thought.

Megatron brought his servos up in a placating gesture, optics wide in surprise at his ferocity. “Optimus, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking rationally but-“

“Oh, you’re not getting out of this that easily.” Optimus put his clenched servos on his hips. “What would you have done if you were captured-  _don’t_  say that you wouldn’t have been. They are a lot more ruthless than you think.” He was becoming more distressed by the second. Optimus soon realized that this was becoming less about telling the truth and more about the very likely possibility of injury or offlining. “Are you  _insane?_ Taking the Autobots head on without a solid plan?! You can’t do this anymore! We have a mission, first and foremost. You promised that we would get through this together, and I can’t  _do_  this without you-!“ Optimus cut himself off, shocking himself at the admission. He heaved air into his vents, trying to cool down his boiling frame. He finally looked away, embarrassment and shame flooding his processor, clenched servos falling to his sides. He didn’t dare look at Megatron’s shocked optics, too afraid of the Decepticon’s reaction to his confession of weakness.

He was about to turn around and just forget this conversation even happened; they had a mission and an audience, that he may or may not have forgotten in his moment of rage, after all. Before he could do that, however, he flinched at a gentle touch to both of his servos. He whipped his helm back to the warlord. 

There was the towering, fearsome Decepticon, his usually neutral expression wiped away by a soft smile and a gaze that conveyed admiration. He gently uncurled each of the Prime’s servos, rubbing the back of each with his thumbs. As soon as he was sure that the Prime was calming down, he finally spoke. 

“Why Optimus, how kind of you to care.” The Prime scowled once again, ready to slap the servos away before the Lord beat him to it.

“You were right. I wasn’t thinking, and I should have told you.” He brought his left servo up first, pressing a kiss to the back of Optimus’. “For that I am sorry. But know this. I will forever keep that promise, my Prime.” He brought his right servo up to press a similar kiss to the back of it. His smile turned into a smirk as the firetruck’s cheekplates darkened with energon. 

However, their little moment was interrupted by the not-so-subtle ‘ _ahem_ ’ of the resident medic. 

Realizing what Megatron had done while in front of all these bots, Optimus’ blush darkened. He yanked his servos away from the lord, who just chuckled at the flustered bot. 

“If you two are done, I believe we should be getting back to our main problem.” Ratchet, almost to the end of his patience, was glad that he didn’t have to physically intervene. He had to hold back a laugh as Optimus shuffled back towards the group, Megatron behind him, avoiding optic contact in his embarrassment. One thing was for sure: Megatron sure knew how to get him flustered. And slag him if it wasn’t hilarious as the Pit.

“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, we can proceed,” he grumbled. “And I think someone has something to say to you.” He gestured towards the strangely silent seeker. 

Starscream’s optics seemed to be staring at nothing, taking in the information displayed on his HUD. His faceplate wore a look of deepening distress. The bots around him stood silently, waiting for a reaction.

“You...lie. This isn’t real. Orion he-“ The seeker slowly turned to look at Optimus. He spoke lowly, not his usual screeching tone. “I saw him with my own optics, he is  _gone_ -“ He cut off abruptly, not trusting his vocalizer to continue further. 

“I know it seems impossible and confusing.” Optimus spoke up. “No one knows that more than I do but,” he vented, trying to calm his racing spark. “But things just aren’t adding up anymore, and I have no choice but to believe. I know we haven’t gotten along, but I’m asking you to trust me, Starscream.” The Prime reached his hand out to the seeker as if asking for a handshake. “I need to find out what happened to me, and it is going to take as many servos as possible. If it turns out that I’m not Orion,” He was being to dread the thought of this all being a lie as well. “then you can walk away. But if it is true...just please. Trust me. Trust  _us_.”

With that, the seeker glanced around at the other bots. The medic didn’t look as grouchy as before, seemingly tamed by the little Autobot’s speech. Soundwave was as silent as ever, still standing at the console with Shockwave on call, waiting for the seeker’s answer as well. Even the speedy one seemed too enthralled by the situation to say a word. But then there was Lord Megatron, the Slag-Maker himself, not even looking at the seeker. No, he had his gaze locked on the Prime, a look in his optics that Starscream hadn’t seen in thousands of stellar cycles; there was admiration, contentment,  _longing_.

Then he looked towards the seeker, who immediately averted his gaze back to the Prime. 

The familiarity in his optics caused Starscream’s optics to start flooding. He slowly reached for the offered servo, gently, yet firmly, grasping it in his clawed one. 

“There’s only one other mech who has show me this sort of kindness before. It would only make sense that it was you-“ His vocalizer started to short out with his emotion. More fluid welled in his optics at the concerned look the Prime gave him. “He was taken away from me; my mentor. My  _friend_. And I tried so hard to avenge him. To avenge  _you_. I-“ He stopped abruptly, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. His expression grew to that of horror, a single tear rolling down his faceplate. “I... I killed you!” His legs gave out from underneath him, tears free-falling from his optics. He hunched over himself. “Oh Primus, what have I done?” He whispered. 

Then, looking back at the Prime, he used both of his servos to grasp Optimus’. He didn’t see the Prime’s startled expression at his rapid change in attitude as he brought the servo up, bending down to touch it to his forehelm. “Please...please forgive me. I am so sorry, my Lord-“

“Woah, hey! Starscream, it’s ok. Yeah, it sort of sucked, but our factions are at war. It’s expected.” Optimus didn’t know why, but the sight of the seeker in such distress caused his spark to panic. He felt like he needed to do everything in his power to comfort him, like it was his duty. 

“Hey, look at me.” The seeker did as he was told, willing to follow the firetruck’s every word. “Look, I’m alive, right? I’m okay.” He gave a soft smile to further drive his point. 

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t really doing great. He had various scratches, dents, and scuffs on his plating from the events of the past few solar cycles, his processor was still running on overdrive, and he nearly blew a fuse mere clicks ago due to his raging emotions. 

But since he was surrounded by bots who cared and were determined to help him through this debacle, he could find it in himself to be ‘okay.’ 

“And I forgive you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> op: hey, hey megatron look at me
> 
>  
> 
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> 
>  
> 
> bitch


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still a lil short cause exams are kicking my ass but expect more soon!!! hopefully
> 
> im rushing while posting cause i have to run to a class but ill edit later

In hindsight, maybe accepting an overly emotional seeker into their fold was a bad idea. Optimus knew his good nature would probably get him offlined one solar cycle.

Perhaps that cycle was now, as he struggled to detach the blubbering jet from around his chassis. As soon as the Prime had said he forgave the seeker, Starscream’s teary apologies turned into incoherent crying as he clung to the truck, unwilling to let go as if he’d disappear again. Deep down, Optimus knew he felt content to be hugged by the seeker; he felt like he was being embraced by an old friend. 

But on the surface of his processor, he just felt awkward and uncomfortable. This was a dangerous Decepticon at close proximity, close enough to rip his spark out. Not to mention that Starscream was a good couple of helms taller than him. Optimus felt like he was going to be crushed by the sheer weight of the flyer any nanosecond. 

“Uh, Starscream,” he said with a wince as he felt one of his back struts pop. “Really, it’s okay. But you’re crushing me, can you let go-“

“I knew you couldn’t be gone! It was too sudden, too surreal-“ The seeker kept blabbering, tightening his grip on the smaller bot.

Optimus shifted his pleading gaze toward the other bots in the medbay. Soundwave was too busy corresponding with Shockwave, most likely synthesizing a plan to continue forward. Ratchet tried to make himself look busy as well, wanting to avoid all interactions with the emotional ‘con. Blurr had the same idea, intent on focusing on the vid-feed of Shockwave. Then, Optimus caught Megatron’s sheepish gaze as he tried to back out of the medbay door that was already open. 

_Coward!_

The Prime glared harshly at the Lord, shooting him a promise of vengeance if he ever escaped his sobbing prison. 

If looks could kill, Megatron would have been dead on the spot. He was frozen in place, however, as soon as his red optics met blue. 

The ‘con exvented. He really didn’t want to deal with Starscream right now. But if it meant saving his love from the clutches of suffocation, he would do it. He was, by no means, afraid of the seeker.

He just really didn’t want Optimus to be mad at him. 

The Lord averted his gaze from the Prime’s deadly one. He cleared his intake and stepped back into the room as if he had a purpose this entire time.

“I know you’re happy that he is here, Starscream, but I think you should detach yourself so we can continue with-“

As soon as Megatron spoke, the seeker cut off his rambling immediately, optics sharpening as he whipped his helm toward Megatron.

“I do not take orders from  _you_!” he hissed, finally detaching himself from Optimus, only to look like he was preparing to pounce on the larger ‘con. Megatron, ever the willing to get into a fight, overrode his surprise at the seeker’s response and glared down at the shorter bot.

Free from containment, Optimus immediately shoved in between the lethal ‘cons, a servo on each of their chassis, trying to push them apart.

“Alright, that’s  _enough_. We don’t have time for this, the both of you.” He felt like he was scolding a pair of large, aggressive sparklings. 

“I agree with Optimus,” Shockwave said through the console. “I assume you already have the plans. It’s just a matter of obtaining the materials and building it, correct?”

“ _And_  making sure it’s built properly and doesn’t obliterate half of the city.” The Prime crossed his arms as soon as he was sure the two bots weren’t going to murder each other. He side-eyed the Lord, letting him know that he was not going to let this go any time soon.

Megatron cleared his vocalizer and focused on the console to address Shockwave. “Yes, that is correct. We have most of the needed materials. We just need a little more expertise on constructing the whole thing.”

Choosing then to interrupt, Ratchet cleared his vocalizer to draw their attention. “Well, aren’t you in luck. You happen to be in the presence of the finest bunch of space bridge technicians this side of the galaxy.” It was hard to determine if the docbot was being serious or sarcastic. Perhaps a little bit of both. However, he wasn’t wrong.

“Ratchet is right,” Optimus spoke up. “My team is decently adept at working with bridges. While we are not engineers, we would have never been assigned this position without a decent amount of knowledge and procedure.”

Ratchet nodded while crossing his arms. He addressed Shockwave and then Megatron. “With a little more bot power, we should have it up and running within the decacyle. Depending on how much of it is already constructed, that is.”

The purple bot looked relieved. “Excellent. While I have not intercepted any Autobot frequencies pertaining to a potential pursuit of me, I was afraid it would take longer, and they would intercept me before I sent word.”

“Then it’s settled,” Optimus said with a nod of his helm. “We start as soon as possible. No later than tomorrow.” He walked forward to stand directly in front of the console. “Thank you for the information, Shockwave. We’ll let you go for now, but stay safe. You’ll be on Earth in no time.”

“I believe it is I who should be thanking you, Optimus Prime.” If a bot without a face could smile, the firetruck thought that Shockwave would be doing so. “We shall talk soon. Shockwave out.” The screen went dark.

The Prime turned around on his peds to address the other bots. “Alright. We should probably go debrief the rest of the group.” He gestured slightly towards the door of the medbay. Every other bot filed out into the hallway as directed, Starscream glancing back every once in a while to ensure that Optimus was coming a long. The firetruck gave him a nod to move along, while Ratchet ushered him down the hall, before looking back to the last two bots in the room. Towards the other side of the medbay, Blurr and Soundwave were taking a moment to detach from the monitor. Once they were finished, Optimus stood by the entryway, waiting for the surveillance bot to exit before gently placing a servo on the speedster’s shoulder.

“Hey, Blurr. Can I speak to you for a nanosecond?”

The blue bot gave an expression of surprise and confusion before responding. “Uh. Of course, Optimus Prime. What can I help you with?” He wasn’t speaking as fast as he normally would, due to his wariness. 

Guiding the smaller bot back into the room, Optimus removed his servo and began. “I just- wanted to say thank you. For helping us out earlier, with Starscream. And just now, for the message and connecting us with Shockwave. You didn’t have to help us, but you did” The Prime gave a small smile before it fell a little as he continued. “But I just wanted to know- and don’t feel any pressure to disclose anything you don’t want to-“ He exvented. He was really not good with this kind of thing. “Why _did_ you agree to betray the Autobots to help us?”

With the question that had been at the back of his processor, now out in the open, Blurr’s wariness was replaced with only surprise. Then, he brought a servo up to rub the back of his helm while looking a little nervous. 

Optimus had thought his reaction to Bumblebee’s prodding question made it seem as if it was a rough subject. The Prime just wanted to make sure that he was alright, and he let the racer know as much.

“Uh-“

“It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me. It seemed like a bad subject to touch upon when Bumblebee brought it up. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright.” Optimus had a habit of wanting to protect those under his care, to make sure that they knew they safe. “Just know that you can tell me anything, and I won’t judge.”

There was only silence for a moment. Blurr still had his servo behind his helm as he searched the Prime’s understanding expression. He seemed to be internally battling with himself. He debated where to begin, or whether or not to disclose anything at all. But the patient look in the Prime’s optics told him that he was to be trusted.

Eventually, he exvented, shifting his optics away from the taller bot while crossing his arms. 

“I- uh…”

After a few stammering false starts, he spoke with a strange, subdued slowness that was not normal for the racer.

“...Back on Cybertron, before I was even assigned to the Intelligence Sector, I had just finished up in the Academy. All of my superiors marveled at my speed but absolutely despised my vocalizer...” His gaze kept shifting around medbay, unable to stay in one spot for long. He paused for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts on what to say next. 

“Everybot I had come across had wanted to know where I got my speed from. I was sparked with the ability to run as fast as I do, but no one was interested in that. They just wanted to know how I  _ticked_.”

Optimus felt like he knew where this was going. He tried to ignore the feeling of sickness in his tank.

“Eventually, after multiple run-ins with officers and other soldiers who couldn’t stand my vocalizer...” His gaze finally settled on the devastated optics of the Prime. “the Science Division got involved.”

Optimus had to force himself not to bring a servo up to cover his intake in disgust.

“The higher-ups agreed that they needed me for my speed. But they hated the way that I talked, thought that I would give away positions or information in the field. So they dug into my processor to find out what they had to dismantle in order to get me to  _shut up_.” The bot grit his dentae in barely contained anger. “Too bad for them, the components that gave me my speed was too interconnected with my speech components. Damaging one would ensure destruction to the other. So they sent me on my way.” Blurr looked like he was battling between rage and devastation. 

It reminded Optimus of himself.

“They sent me on my way without even acknowledging what they put me through. They made me sign documents ensuring secrecy before forcing me to go through with the experiments. I had no one to go to. That is, until they forced me to join with Intelligence.” As soon as he mentioned his long-time work place, he’s gaze softened, shifting to look around the room again. “Long- er Shockwave was the only bot who never scolded me for my glitch. He never once told me to slow down or be quiet. I will always be grateful to him for that.” He looked back toward Optimus once again. “And to you, as well. For going against those...horrible bots-“ Blurr was suddenly cut off by the taller bot pulling him into a tight hug.

The blue bot seemed shocked, to say the least. At first, he tensed and didn’t know what to do with his arms, which had shot to his sides as soon as the Prime had embraced him. 

“I am so sorry you had to go through that, Blurr.”

He felt a strange emotion bubble up from his spark and into his intake. He felt that, if he were to speak now, nothing but static would emerge. He didn’t know why he felt so emotional at the Prime’s apology; it’s not as if Optimus was the one that tortured him. But he couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of closer at the acknowledgement of the event by another bot. Another bot who had been through the same as him, according to Shockwave.

Eventually, he settled, his hovering arms finally wrapping around the Prime. The speedster hugged back tightly. 

Optimus felt sadness flood his spark as the smaller bot buried his helm into the Prime’s shoulder. He was shaking, but silent.

The Prime held on tighter. 

Optimus spoke in a hushed tone, bordering on bitter. “They want us to forget all that they have done to us. They expect us to think that it was for the good of all Cybertron…Sometimes, they try and _force_ us to forget-“ He had to take a moment to vent, to get his emotions under control. He needed to be strong. For everybot. “But we will _never_ forget.” He could feel optical fluid drip onto his plating. “And that is why they will fall.”

And for the first time in his functioning, he knew those words to be true. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♪let me out im lost in the words, dont know how i ended here tRAPPED IN A BLUR-UR (BASS)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mods asleep post new chapter  
> and, of course ill edit soon cause its late and midterms week  
> thanks again for the comments;') they make me so happy
> 
> ALSO i realized that i really suck at timeline building????? so i might go back and make the timespan that these chapters take place........longer...but if i do that, ill let yall know cause then ill be adding extra in between to make it....good

Optimus and Blurr emerged into the main section of the warehouse a few clicks after the other bots. Not many noticed their silent entrance, too focused on accosting the Decepticon Lord with questions. 

He must have already gotten the discussion rolling. Good, that meant Optimus wouldn’t have to. 

One part of the group consisted of Bumblebee and Sari, gathered around Bulkhead. The poor green bot looked nervous with the two practically vibrating on their peds. 

“How could you not tell us! This is like. Something you should tell your best friends!” The yellow bot tried to grasp onto Bulkhead’s plating, attempting to shake him as an intimidation tactic. He didn’t even manage to shift him on his peds.

“W-well, I didn’t think it was that important. And besides, I told you what I wanted to do in the Academy. It shouldn’t be that surprising-“

“Man, Bulkhead! I wish I could be an expert on something! That sound cool!” The tiny human ignored Bumblebee for the moment and few up to look the green bot in the optics. “And aren’t you, like, super young in bot years?” 

Optimus shuffled over to Ratchet in confusion, who had been watching the younger bots’ exchange. Blurr still followed close behind him, remaining quiet. 

“Um. Ratchet?” Instead of asking a question, the Prime just vaguely gestured toward them.

The medic’s arms were crossed as usual, and he exvented. “Your big bot over there decided to tell everybot here that he had a space bridge and that we needed to finish it, with no hesitation or explanation.” Optimus chose to ignore the tease of Megatron being  _his_. “Sentinel, of course, went off, but not before Bulkhead mentioned that he was, in fact, an expert on space bridge technology and, I quote, ‘it should be a piece of cake.’” He even emphasized his quote by making the gesture with his digits.

Optimus just stood there, confused, as he raised an optic ridge towards the medic.

“I swear I’m not making this up,” he said in reply to the Prime’s silence.

He looked back to the group of younglings, Bulkhead looking more flustered than he has in a while. He gave a look of ‘ _sure, why not?_ ’ while shrugging his shoulders. He was about walk over and inquire about it when he caught what Sentinel was saying from the other side of the room; not a difficult feat when the bot was practically shouting. 

“-and how did a couple of ‘cons like you get their servos on space bridge technology!?” Sentinel must have either grown thicker plating or numbed parts of his processor in the short while Optimus and the others were in the medbay. He was currently the loudest among them, forgetting his severe disadvantages against the Lord.

Megatron only smirked at the smaller bot while looming over him. “I have my ways of acquiring information,  _Prime_. I suggest you remember that.” He spit the title with a kind of venom that Optimus knew the Lord would never use on him.

Sentinel shrunk in on himself at the underlying threat but didn’t stop glaring at the bigger bot, despite the bulky forms of the other ‘cons standing behind him. 

Behind the blue and orange Prime, the twins stared up in awe at the sheer intimidating presence of the Deception, never once seeing a bot like them holding power over others by using nothing more than his voice and size. Optimus felt a twinge of sadness for the two jets. They were sparked into a society who exiled bots like them. They didn’t have anybot to model after and must have felt so alone, despite being in each other’s company. But Optimus was determined to change that.

“How can we assure that this bridge won’t be used against us as soon as we help get it functional?” This time, Jazz spoke up from behind them. He was leaning against one of the walls, arms crossed against his chassis. The firetruck understood his skepticism; after all, he’d also been thrown into this not too long ago. After stellar cycles of Autobot propaganda, it was hard to break the habit of mistrust. However, Optimus knew he wasn’t asking out of ignorance, merely just wanting to get a feel for the situation.

Instead of waiting for the Lord to respond, the Prime took this as his opportunity take control of the conversation before servos started flying.

“You all are just going to have to trust in me.” Optimus stepped forward to address the room. “Now, I don’t expect you all to get along and be friends so soon. It’s only been three solar cycles after all; only two for you all.” He gestured toward Sentinel and his team. “But we all have a common goal, and I do expect you to be civil, at the very least.” It took serious effort not to shoot Sentinel and Megatron with a look of exasperation. “Now, if you’re done, we need to discuss how we are to proceed.”

With that, the room full of bots congregated near the Prime, giving him their full attention.

“Alright. So, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Shockwave has informed us that he is in need of a space bridge to get to Earth. He had to evacuate Cybertron under the suspicion that he was to be discovered very soon. Right now, he is on the outskirts of the territory but was only able to commandeer a small shuttle. It is absolutely essential that he makes it here as soon as possible, or else we are going to be delayed in making further plans.” He looked about the room, trying to gauge the group’s reaction. Over to his left, Sentinel had his arms crossed against his chassis but otherwise seemed fine with the idea when it came from Optimus. That, on its own, was strange enough, considering their history. Maybe Sentinel was ‘ _turning a new leaf,_ ’ as the humans said. The Decepticons in the room seemed amicable to the idea. They had already been building one after all, and they would have a chance to get a colleague back and out of danger. His own team didn’t seem opposed either. Ratchet already knew the plan, on account of him being in the room when Blurr called Shockwave. Prowl was usually a ‘ _go-with-the-flow_ ’ kind of bot as well, but if he had any serious objections, the Prime knew he would speak up. Currently, Bumblebee and Sari were not-so-subtly casting looks towards Bulkhead, expecting to come outright and tell everybot just how proficient he was at building bridges. Overall, his team trusted him with the decisions he made, just as the Prime trusted them to keep him on track.

“Megatron and his team already have a partially built space bridge,” He ignored the sneer that Sentinel grew on his faceplate. “However, we are going to need to finish it as soon as possible, within the next decacycle is preferable. That means all servos on deck. We need bots collecting supplies, building, and supervising.” He turned to Bulkhead, who looked surprised and tried to shrink into himself, which was entirely ineffective due to his size. “Bulkhead, since you’re the bridge expert here, I’m gonna need you to help ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. That also means double, triple checking components to make sure everything is built correctly and safely.”

When assigned with this task, the green bot seemed to straighten, ready to take on the responsibility he had been waiting for his entire functioning. He nodded to the Prime. “You got it, Bossbot!”

Optimus smiled at him. “Excellent. Everything else can be divided out amongst the rest of you all when we actually start building. As for now,” he turned to Megatron. “Would you mind if we checked out the status of the bridge now? I would like to see how much work we have on our servos.”

Megatron, every the high and mighty lord, smirked and gave him a slow nod on his helm, similar to a shallow bow. “Of course, my Prime.” 

Optimus fought the blush and raised an optic ridge. He huffed and said, “Good,” before he turned to acknowledge the small techno-organic sitting on Bulkheads shoulder. “Sari, do you think you could ask your father to meet us at the Decepticon base? It would be easier with another being who knows his technology.” 

She gave a beaming smile to the Prime while nodding, both her and the Prime not noticing Megatron’s grumpy growl at the mention of the Professor. She whipped out her phone and flew off to give him a call.

“Okay. Bulkhead, you’re with me and Megatron. The rest of you, stay and rest.” Some bots relaxed their posture, eager to unwind for the rest of the solar cycle. However, some, the three young bots on the team, groaned out of already anticipated boredom. Optimus put his servos on his hips. “Now, it’s going to be a long solar cycle tomorrow, and every one after that for a while. Get rest while you can.” 

Just then, Sari flew back toward the group, the ever-present smile on her face. “He said he’d come! He has a bunch of question regarding  _this_  whole situation,” She gestured to both Optimus and Megatron vaguely. “But don’t worry! I’m going to go pick him up and I’ll explain everything. Do you have directions? Or coordinates? What ever it is you bots use.” She turned to Megatron, who begrudgingly rattled off the exact coordinates from his HUD. The little half-human quickly typed the numbers into her phone. “Great! I see you there!” 

“Wait! It’s cold, wear a jacket-!“

She flew right out of the warehouse door before Optimus could finish. The Prime slumped a little and exvented. 

He turned to the Decepticon Lord when he heard him chuckle. He raised an optic ridge while putting his servos on his hips again. “Do you have something to say?” 

Megatron just looked away with a smug look still on his faceplate. Optimus turned away and started walking towards the exit that Sari had just flown through. “Fine. We’d better leave before the Professor gets there first.” He could practically feel the look of disgust as he walked away.

He smirked.

-oOo-

It took a good while to get from their base in the middle of Detroit to the Decepticon base on the far outskirts of the city. Megatron had given Optimus and Bulkhead the coordinates before heading off. The ‘con hovered low in his alt-mod while he followed the two transformed bots on the winding road. When the direct path ended, all of the bots transformed back into their root mode and began to walk. 

The ground of the forest was covered in white powder. Optimus could hear and feel each ‘crunch’ from his ped sinking into the snow as he walked. He shivered as the cold seeped into his struts once again. Sometimes, he envied bots with thicker plating, similar to the two walking on either side of him. While his size and stature made him flexible and quick, he wasn’t able to take large hits in some places or keep away the elements in others.

Just as he tried to hide another shiver, he felt a frame move close behind and to the side of him as they walked. He looked back and saw Megatron. The ‘con was still facing forward, looking where he was going. He glanced at the Prime for a moment out of the corner of his optic, a small smirk on his derma.

Optimus could feel the heat from his flight engine agains his back; he was secretly grateful but didn’t add to the Lord’s ego by giving him the satisfaction of knowing. 

The Prime glanced towards his other companion. Bulkhead didn’t seem to notice his leader’s blushing faceplate or the fact that Megatron was a lot closer to his Bossbot that he originally started. He just seemed to be taking in the nature around him, fascinated by the life in the forest despise the cold temperatures.

Optimus was even more grateful for that.

Eventually, they came across a large outcropping of rocks that seemed to sprout out of nowhere. Megatron took the lead and pushed the entrance to the cave open. Before he could step inside, he head a slight hum of engines. 

The three bots turned and and looked, spotting Sari with her face mask down. On her back perched her father, who was clinging onto the techno-organic for dear life. It was a miracle that she was able to fly all this way.

She landed on her feet a little heavier than expected, causing a plume of snow to disperse into the air. There was a muffled ‘thud’ as Professor Sumdac hopped off of his daughter’s jet pack and landed in the snow. He put a hand to his head as of to combat the dizziness from the flight. As soon as he noticed his company, he shook himself out of his stupor and brushed the snow off of his lab coat. 

“Ah, Optimus Prime! It is good to see you again. You as well Bulkhead.” The he turned to make eye contact with the Lord. “Megatron.” He nodded his head. “I hear you’ve all gotten yourselves into quite the pickle.” 

Optimus smiled. “Hello, Professor. Thank you for coming. And you could...say that, yes.” The Prime tried to mask his confusion at yet another strange human saying. “We would really appreciate your help with this project. I know humans haven’t yet developed space bridge or warp technology, but any technological insight you could provide would be helpful.” Optimus then gestured the group towards the cave.

Since he knew that Megatron was too stubborn and prideful to explain the situation to the scientist, Optimus remained in the lead. “We have the schematics for the space bridge itself, but what we need is to make sure it is build properly. Bulkhead is going to be our leader on the project, but having another processor- er ‘ _brain_ ’ on ‘ _hand_ ’ would better speed along the process.”

The five of them progressed deeper into the cave, Sari resuming her earlier perch on Bulkhead’s shoulder. 

“Bulkhead, you are the project leader?” the Professor asked. “You must be an expert on this! I hope to learn much from you!”

The green bot just looked bashful at the praise. “Aw geez, Professor. You give me too much credit.” 

“No, Bulkhead, he’s right.” Optimus turned and patted the younger bot on the shoulder. “You’ve got a lot of knowledge in that processor. You deserve to be recognized.”

The big bot just blushed even further, causing Sari and Optimus to give a friendly laugh.

As they continued down the maze of tunnels, Megatron eventually led them into the giant main chamber. Optimus could see the giant Decepticon symbol on one of the cave walls. Directly under it seemed to be a small network of consoles and various other technology.

Located on the opposite side of the chamber was a half built space bridge, taking up a majority of the space it was constructed in. 

Optimus could only stand in awe of the large, half-built creation. He has been up close and personal with space bridges before, being a technician, but the fact that the ‘cons could even build this much without proper training was amazing.

However, there was still a lot to go. 

He snapped out of his trance when Bulkhead and the Professor walked up to the structure to give it a good once-over. The bot began inspecting it on all angles, Sari jumping off of his shoulder to give him more mobility. Eventually he stopped and turned to address Megatron. 

“Do you mind if I take a peek inside. I just want to make sure the inner workings are up to code.” 

The ‘con just silently nodded and gave an affirmative gesture toward the construction. Then he turned around to walk towards one of the consoles, activating it and reading the glyphs that popped up on screen.

Bulkhead’s optics light up like he’d been given the finest of energon treats for the All Spark’s Festival. He immediately began picking up random crude tools that the ‘con’s used for basic construction. He opened hatches, sifted through wires, and inspected panels from the base, all the way up to the stubby twin spears that were just starting to protrude up towards the cave ceiling.

For a few minutes, the Professor watched the bot go through each component. He took efficient notes to study up on, but that was the most he would get from the alien technology for now.

While Bulkhead continued working, Professor Sumdac walked back and looked up Optimus, many questions obviously at the front of his mind.

“Sari has told me all that has gone on in the past few days. Is it true what she has said? That the Autobots are evil?”

Optimus exvented and sat down on the rough ground, crossing his legs. “The Autobot military is corrupt, and apparently has been for a long time. The civilians, however, are suffering at the hands on the Elite Guard. Not all are evil, but many are too blinded by propaganda from the council to think otherwise.” 

Without taking a moment to let the answer sink in, the Professor was already pressing forward. “And is it true that you lost your memory and used to be a Decepticon?”

Just as he asked the question, Sari flew back over from watching her friend work. “Dad, that stuff’s personal! And not pleasant.”

Optimus just smiled softly at the protectiveness of the small girl. “It’s okay, Sari. He deserves to know, and I don’t mind.” He looked back towards the Professor. “It’s a little more complicated than that. It is true that the Autobot Science Division tampered with my processor to seal my past life. But my frame is new. Well at least, new for Cybertronian standards.” He shifted his optics away for a moment. “They stole my spark from my last frame. And I was a Decepticon.” He has come to accept it now, knowing what the movement used to be; vaguely, who he used to be. “But it was different all those stellar cycles ago. And I believe that it’s going to change once again.” 

Because of his position, turned away from the group, none them could see the soft smile on Megatron’s derma at his Prime’s determined words.

A comfortable silence spread between the occupants of the cave, save for the occasional clangs and bangs coming from Bulkhead still inspecting the machine. 

Then, Sari perked up. “You know, this kinda reminds me of an old movie from a looong time ago. Like the 1990’s or something.” 

Optimus just looked at her in question.

“It was about a royal who had to flee her home, but she was injured and lost all of her memories! But the best part was when she got them back, fought off evil, and lived happily ever after!” She lifted up her arms in a grand gesture of excitement. 

Optimus stared at her for a moment before bursting out into a laugh, her enthusiasm contagious. The little human giggled along with him, while her father watched on with amusement. Eventually, they tapered off while Bulkhead finished up with his examination. The Prime stood and brushed the dirt off of his plating. 

He thought for a moment. “You know, I think you’re on to something,” he said softly. He glanced at the Megatron, who had finished whatever he was up to and began walking back to them. He smiled warmly at the ‘con then turned back to Sari. “I think I can see myself with a happy end.”

Whether it was just the high of the moment or that he actually thought it was true, Optimus knew one thing for certain, as he and Megatron brought up the rear of the group while exiting the cave: he would never forget the feeling of a warm servo holding his nor would he trade it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> megatron its me anastasia
> 
>  
> 
> wow that was gay guys  
> i added the cliche tag for a reason;)))


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITs been so long im so sorry college sucks BUT expect more soon and if anyone wants to message me and yell at me to write thats fair.  
> its short but expect at least a few more interactions between characters. i havent had time to proofread as i am posting in chem 2 lecture rip
> 
> ive also been working on another fic for the past couple of weeks. ive got about 7000 words down and its not even close to being done yet so expect that in the future but probably not soon cause i have to write four essays and its taking all of my writing energy

“Be careful with those components! We can’t afford to waste material!”

Optimus watched the young space bridge engineer give commands as if he were sparked for it. It had been five solar cycles since the motley bunch of bots began to finish construction on the Decepticon’s bridge. As promised, it wasn’t easy. Even with all servos on deck, it proved to be a slow process of working together and finding their respective places. 

The Prime was surprised at how well everybot was working together. Sentinel, of course, kept trying to pick fights and was just overall stubborn, but even he got used to being ordered around by a bot that wasn’t Ultra Magnus.

Optimus leaned back on one of the cave’s walls, sipping on a can of coolant. He had to admit, Bulkhead was running them ragged, but he knew that there was no other bot perfect for the job. Right now, as the Prime took a break from lifting and transporting stacks of sheet metal throughout the cave system, the green technician was instructing Bumblebee on the finer points of watching where you were welding. The yellow bot grumbled as he shook his left servo that he slightly singed with the makeshift welding torch. He complained to Ratchet, who was on the main platform, using one of his various wrenches to tighten the bolts on one of the access panels.

The medic just grumbled in return, not looking up from his work. “You’ll be _fine_. Young bots like you bounce back quickly.”

The Prime smiled slightly. Despite facing the possibility of exile, incarceration, or worse, execution, his team caused just as much trouble as usual. He knew he wouldn’t trade them for the world. However, the thought of them risking their entire functioning for him didn’t sit well in his tanks. His smile fell as he thought of all the possibilities that this plan of his could go wrong. 

He could imagine it now: their plan failing, being attacked and arrested by the Elite Guard, his crew being tortured for information at the hands of the ASD and being thrown in the Stockades, left to suffer. Death would be merciful.

Or perhaps, Ultra Magnus would discover their ruse before it even left the ground, before Shockwave had a chance of making it to Earth. Maybe he would warp to the blue planet just to beat the slag out of the washed-up Prime, himself. He apparently hated the idea of Orion siding with the Decepticons, after the lengths he went to prevent Optimus from ever knowing about it. His team would try to protect him, but nothing stood in the way of an angry Magnus and his warhammer. 

“If you think any harder, smoke’s gonna start coming out your vents, pal.”

He was startled out of his stress-induced imagining by the bot who was the most likely to backstab them all. 

Optimus exvented and looked back to his crew. “What do you want, Sentinel?” 

“What, I’m not allowed to check in to see how you’re doing, every once in a while?” The larger Prime smirked and nudged the firetruck. When Optimus slowly turned his helm toward him and raised an unamused brow ridge, Sentinel wiped the teasing look off of his faceplate into a slightly more serious one. “C’mon, I can hear you overthinking about this whole situation from the other side of the cave. We’re all willing participants in this plan. We know the stakes.”

Optimus furrowed both of his brow ridges. “How did you-“

“You forget the I used to be excellent at reading your moods.” That insufferable smirk was back. 

The smaller Prime glared at him. “‘ _Used to_ ’ being the operative phrase,” he snapped harshly. He very much did not want to deal with the bigger bot’s slag at this moment. 

Sentinel’s smirk fell once again into a grimace. “Right.” The blue and orange bot seemed to shrink in on himself slightly before taking a vent. “We’re not just doing this for you, you know.” As soon as he realized how that would sound coming out of his vocalizer, the Prime rushed to correct himself before Optimus decided to slag him. He held his servos up in a placating gesture. “ _I mean_ , we are, don’t take that as an insult! It’s just…we all know the consequences if we let Cybertron continue the way it has been. It is the right thing to do.” 

Optimus had his arms crossed over his chassis, trying to shrink in on himself. “But it could have been done another way. Diplomatically. You’re all in the line of fire all because of me, and who I used to be…” He looked away from Sentinel and back to his crew, his family.

There was a beat of silence. “That may be true, but think of what would happen if you didn’t bring this to our attention. How bad would it have gotten before I opened my optics to the truth?” Pushing past his normal pride, Sentinel placed a servo on Optimus’ shoulder, turning him slightly to get the smaller Prime to look at him. “If it wasn’t for you, it would have been too late for Cybertron and her people, for Jetfire and Jetstorm…” He trailed off, thinking of his charges that he internally swore to protect. He remembered that, when they were first assigned to his team, he was quick to get annoyed with the twins. But, over time he saw them for who they truly were: just _younglings_. Younglings forced into a world that hated them. 

Sentinel paused and took a slow vent before continuing, staring intently into Optimus’ surprised blue optics. “So what I’m saying is…your team knows what they are getting into. I know what I am getting into. I’m here to set things right, to protect the twins and all civilians on Cybertron... and to stand by you.” 

That caused Optimus to widen his optics that much more, staring into his ex-friends familiar faceplate. Fluid welled up slightly in his optics.

“Because I think that it’s about time I did.” Sentinel gave him a sincere determined smile. Optimus hadn’t seen that friendly expression directed at him since before Archa-Seven. However, this time it seemed tinged with sadness and regret. He felt the larger Prime’s servo tighten slightly on his shoulder.

But, of course, after a moment of tender feelings, Sentinel’s smirk grew back on his face due to his inability to stay serious for more than a cycle. “And you can’t stop a bot from doing what they want! You’re just gonna have to deal with it, buddy!”

Despite himself, Optimus huffed out a laugh, smiling slightly at his old friend. “You’re right, Sentinel. Thanks,” he said while wiping the fluid from his optics. 

“Of course I am!” The larger bot smacked his servo against Optimus’ back, sending him stumbling forward slightly. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Optimus said while shuffling away. “Let’s get back to work before Bulkhead singes our plating.”

-oOo-

Bumblebee groaned as he sat cross-legged on the ground at the far back of the work site. Despite being a part of a team of space bridge techs, he wasn’t build for all this slag. However, he was grateful that he wasn’t a bigger bot that had to lug all those steel beams and sheet metal around. 

He vented as he relaxed on the ground. He put his servos out behind him to lean back on and hissed in pain. 

The yellow bot sat back up, bringing his left servo into view. The burn wasn’t serious, but it sure did sting. It didn’t feel like the crackle of electricity that his stingers usually gave off. Instead, it was more of a melting heat that ached and stung for cycles. His servo plating hadn’t been warped by the slip up with the torch, but it had a nice grey steak of dead metal up the back where it intercepted the path of the flame. Ratchet checked it out after he finally got sick and tired of his moaning and said that it should return to normal within the solar cycle.

Then, Bulkhead gave him another lecture on safety and sent him on a break until he felt better.

Thank Primus for that. He was getting tired of welding sheet metal all sol.

He cradled his servo to his chassis while he reached into his subspace for a container of coolant with the other. He took a sip of the chilled liquid, reveling in its refreshing qualities.

As he pressed the cylinder onto his burn with a wince, he didn’t notice the tall mech shuffling up towards him. 

“What have you done  _now_ , bug?”

Startled, Bumblebee snapped his helm towards the left and  _up_ , straining his neck cables to look at the tan and purple Decepticon. The bot had one arm up around a steel support beam and looked like he was in the process of carrying it on his shoulder over to the construction site. Bumblebee smiled his usually cocky smirk. 

“Oh, hey Blitzbrain. I’ve been, you know, building bridges. Being a technician and all that.” 

The overstatement caused the triplechanger to raise a brow ridge. Then, he glanced down at the speedster holding the can of coolant on his injured servo. 

Following his gaze, the yellow mech quickly removed the cool container away from his servo as he hid the appendage behind his back as nonchalantly as he could.

The icy mech just vented in exasperation. He set down the heavy beam with a  _thud_  on the ground and walked over to the minibot. Bumblebee just looked confused at the icy persona’s odd behavior, all the way up until Blitzwing took a knee in front of the seated bot.

“Let me see it, bug.” A large black servo was held out towards Bee. 

The yellow bot tried to play his weakness cool, as usual, stuttering up at the large ‘con. He looked slightly nervous at the giant bot looming over him. “I-I don’t know what you mean, Blitzwing! I’m perfectly fi-“

_Whirr_

“Just give me your servo, insect!”  _Whirr_. “Or I can always take it myself! Ahahaha!” With one last whirr of his faceplate, Blitzwing settled back on his icy persona, only raising an optic ridge towards the smaller bot. 

Mostly unfazed by the triplechanger’s change in attitude, Bumblebee just looked skeptical and then finally relented with an exvent. He placed his left servo in the ‘cons own.

Immediately, Blitzwing covered the yellow bot’s servo with his other. Bumblebee hissed again as he felt the sting of pressure on his burn. However, after a moment, the burning cooled at the touch of the larger mech, allowing Bee to relax slightly. Before he could question the ‘con, Blitzwing beat him too it.

“My core temperature while I am calm is significantly cooler than when I am not. Do not move for a few cycles while I do this.” He wore is usual neutral expression.

The speedster was stunned at the Decepticon’s helpfulness. For once, he was rendered speechless. Only for a moment. 

“Uh. Thank you, Blitzbrain...Why help me though? I could have managed on my own.”

Blitzwing scoffed. “Not without complaining, you wouldn’t. And besides, we need to finish this bridge as soon as possible. You heard your Prime: all servos on deck.” He paused. “And any bot that my Lord’s bonded is friends with, I supposed it wouldn’t be difficult to be amicable.”

Speechless once more, Bee could only let out a quiet, “Oh.” A soft silence settled between them after that, while Blitzwing continued to hold the minibot’s servo between his own. However, like usual, Bee’s curiosity got the better of him.

“Hey,” he started softly. “Did you...know Optimus before he was, you know...Optimus?” He stared up at the triplechanger with open curiosity. The ‘con stared back with piqued interest. 

“No,” he said with a deep exvent. “I joined shortly after the...incident.” He paused as if to think over his next words. “The first moment I met Lord Megatron, I could see his anguish. I felt for his cause. But I heard much about his passed bonded; how kind and gentle, yet stubborn and just he was. Every Decepticon adored him just as much as they adored our leader.” Blitzwing’s neutral expression turned into more of a frown. “From what I saw when I joined, the attack tore the Decepticons apart. They became more ruthless, and I, with nowhere else to go, had to follow.” 

After his input, a silence stretched between them again. Bumblebee’s optics reflected the tragedy in the taller mech’s optics only to harden into his usual stupidly faithful resolve.

“But now that Prime’s here, we can fix things, right?”

For a moment, Blitzwing was stunned at the minibot’s boundless optimism. This little bug sure had faith in the goodness of others. 

The ‘con huffed out an uncharacteristic laugh. “Sure,” he said while gently returning Bee’s servo to him. He stood from his kneeling position and walked back to pick up the beam he had discarded, playfully rubbing his servo on top of the minibot’s helm. Bee let out a slight cry of annoyance. “We can certainly try.” 

The ‘con then bent over to grab the steel beam with both servos, hauling it up to rest on his shoulder once more. “Try not to get yourself slagged, bug. We need-“

“All servos on deck, yeah yeah. I know.”

Blitzwing wrapped one arm around the beam and continued on his way. 

Bumblebee watched him walk away, slight surprise still held in his optics. Then he remembered his injured servo and brought it up to take a look at it. 

The chill of the triplechanger had significantly soothed the sting of the burn. Bumblebee flexed his palm and digits to test their mobility, finding that he could move without pain. A quick glance at the wound revealed that color was slowly starting to return to the grey area.

The minibot quickly glanced back to the retreating form of the tan and purple mech. He smiled.

These ‘cons didn’t seem so scary, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you know strong acids are strong because they dissociate completely in an aqueous solution


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyy its the week before finals! have a short chapter  
> summers coming soon so i will hopefully be able to write a bunch more and i have an ever growing list of ideas
> 
> also for this fic in particular, i was thinking of doing it in parts so when i label this part as complete it wont be the conclusion to the story. its just so that it gives me spots to work from and work towards while also allowing me to take a break in between to write other stuff. but this one wont be done for a few couple chapters i think  
> thanks for all the lovely comments! i love you all thank you for supporting me;')

“Watch your helms!” Optimus shouted before engaging his battle mask. 

Suddenly, an earth-rumbling blast shook the ground of the cave system. Every single former-Autobot and Decepticon kept their optics on the ceiling of the main chamber as boulders came crumbling down. 

Prepared as they were, every bot braced themselves and began targeting smaller rocks that crumbled from the ceiling. Blaster fire echoed through the cave system as a majority of the ‘cons turned the rocks into dust. Then, a large magnetic field extended over the helms of cave’s occupants. Before the large pieces of rubble could fall too far, the field suspended the mass above the nearly-finished space bridge before it could ruin all of their hard work. 

Ratchet, tensing with the weight of the metal-rich boulders, guided the material off to the side of the chamber, only to drop it in a pile with a thunderous crash. After a moment of silence, the dust began to settle as every bot stared up to observe their handy work. 

Ratchet heaved air into his vents, trying to clear out the small particles of debris. He just about got his bearings when Optimus came over to give him a pat on the shoulder. The Prime smiled at him.

“Nice work. That went a lot smoother that I thought it would.” The firetruck turned to stare up at the now gaping ceiling of the cave. Ratchet followed his gaze. “Though if I had realized the scale of the actual bridge and the need for more vertical space _before_ we started major construction, this could have been a lot easier.”

“Yeah, well. It would have been even easier had I been a few stellar cycles younger,” he grumbled, stretching the struts in his back.

“Well, you always do tell us that with age comes experience, right Docbot?” Bumblebee sauntered toward their pair, kicking stray pieces of rubble as he went. “And I’m sure you’ve got plenty of it,” he teased.

Before a bot could shutter their optics, Ratchet got his second wind and had a wrench in his servo, aiming for the yellow bot’s helm. “I’ll show you experience when I remove your helm and weld it to your aft!”

Bumblebee’s mischievous look was replaced by one of fear as he turned tailpipe and ran away, tripping on patches of rubble and screeching for help as the ambulance gave chase. 

Optimus sighed after the two members of his team as they bickered like sparklings.

“Do they always behave this way?”

The Prime turned around to address the Decepticon Lord towering above him. The fusion cannon on his arm hummed with excess energy as it cooled down. Dust had settled on his plating, similar to that of every bot in the vicinity.

A small smile grew on Optimus’ faceplate as he crossed his arms over his chassis. “A majority, yes. But they can pull it together when it counts.”

Megatron huffed as he spotted his own team attempting to clear the remanence of the cave ceiling out of the main chamber. “Same cannot be said for many that work under my immediate command.” As he said this, Blitzwing ducked to avoid the swing of Lugnut’s large servo as the green bot’s temper finally blew. Currently configured into his more mischievous personality, Blitzing continued to antagonize the larger bot while Starscream snickered somewhere off to the side.

Both Optimus and Megatron watched the exchange with amusement and exasperation respectively. “Oh, c’mon,” the Prime said. “They’re just having a little fun.”

“Correct,” the warlord grumbled. “Which means they are not working. The sooner this space bridge is complete, the sooner Shockwave can arrive-“

“The sooner I can get my memories unencrypted.” The firetruck sighed, exposing his ever-present anxieties about the situation. However, Optimus ignored the nagging at the back of his processor for a moment. “But we’ve been constructing practically non-stop for seven solar cycles now. I think now is a good time for a break.” He sent a kind look up at the warlord, turning to face the larger bot fully. 

Megatron hummed in thought as he reached down and took one of the Prime’s servos in his own. His digits wiped away the dust off the back while lifting it up towards his faceplate. He leant down and placed a soft kiss to the back of it. “I suppose you are correct,” he said while smirking at the firetruck’s flushed cheek plates. He lowered the smaller servo back to the Prime’s side without releasing it, continuing to caress the back of it with his digit. “This was a good plan,” he said, expressing his approval. “You continue to prove your skills at problem solving and creativity, not unlike you were all those stellar cycles ago.” The lord trailed off, thinking of his glory days with his bonded by his side. He gazed into the familiar blue optics of Optimus Prime, set against his embarrassed expression. 

However, instead of contradicting the warlord on his ‘skills,’ he paused for a moment.

“Would you-“ he started, clearing his intake of the nervous waver in his vocalizer. “Would you tell me more? About…before?”

Instead of allowing a look of surprise show on his faceplate, Megatron just smiled softly at the smaller bot. The curiosity of the young Prime never ceased to remind him of his time with his beloved. He didn’t reply directly. Instead, he turned and offered the crook of this arm to Optimus. 

“Take a walk with me?”

~oOo~

Starscream watched his two leaders walk through the cave entrance from his perch on a protruding section of the cave wall.

“Aw how cute!” Blitzwing cooed in the midst of straining to hold up Lugnut’s servos to prevent them from crashing down on top of him. “If it were any sweeter, I might just purge my tanks!” He then head butted the large green bot, causing him to stagger backwards with an indecipherable growl. 

Paying the two bickering bots no heed, Starscream sneered. “He better get his helm out of his aft before something goes wrong.” He ignored Lugnut’s roar of outrage at him speaking so crudely of their lord. “It’s insufferable watching them dance around each other.”

“Oh, dancing?”

“We like the dancing!”

Two young voices startled the seeker enough to put a look of surprise on his faceplate. However, it was quickly replaced with a skeptical gaze as Starscream looked down at the twin flyers huddled near his dangling peds. “You both sure do like to sneak around for a couple of Autobots.”

“Sentinel Prime says the sneaking is good training,” The blue plated bot said in a hushed tone, as if it were to be kept a secret, before his counterpart finished his thought.

“But not for the pranking. Sentinel Prime says the joking does not make good Autobots.”

As if the blue bot had a revelation, he turned to his twin and spoke in a hushed whisper, which did nothing to prevent Starscream from hearing. “But Sir said we are no longer Autobots, brother.”

“Oh, you are right, brother!”

The seeker watched on with curiosity as the twins continued to whisper animately about all the pranks they could pull. He watched them wave their servos and jump up and down, acting out all the mischief they could pull on some unsuspecting bot. They were so young, so full of life and innocence, never having seen war and yet being forced into it by the council and the science division. They were Autobot-sparked fliers with the flight schematics downloaded from his very self.

A tight unnamed emotion ran through his spark.

“What are your designations, again?” Interrupting their excited ramblings, Starscream surprised even himself by asking the question. He wasn’t usually one to care about others since Orion left him. 

The twins looked up at the towering seeker, a look of surprise on their faceplates at the interruption. Then, like they had been granted the Allspark itself, they beamed up at him, wide optics expressing their usual innocence. Then they stood up straight and gave the larger bot a salute.

“Jetfire!”

“Jetstorm”

“At your service, sir!” they said simultaneously. 

Starscream raised an optic ridge at their coordination and excitability. He tried to hide the fact that they made his chassis feel lighter. 

“Well, Jetfire. Jetstorm,” he acknowledged each respectively. “You two are obviously of seeker formatting. You should know that it is a great responsibility and honor!” Starscream fluffed up his plating and hitched up his wings in seeker pride. He pointedly ignored Lugnut’s offhanded comment about said flier lacking any honor, while simultaneously continuing his tussle with Blitzwing. Instead, he focused on the two younglings staring up at him with bright optics. “How often do you go flying?”

That caused the two bots to drop their straight posture and give each other a confused look. After a moment, they both looked back up at the seeker. 

“The flying and the combining is usually for missions,” Jetstorm said. Jetfire just nodded along with his twin. 

Starscream almost let a scowl show across this faceplate. Inside, he was seething with anger at the Autobots for preventing the younglings from flying. It was a necessity and their right! Instead, he chose to focus on the other part of their claim. “Combining? So you two are gestalts?” he said with amazement. It took stellar cycles with rigorous training and compatibility to form up if you were a gestalt. ‘ _Though the process would be quickened_ _since they were spark-twins._ ’ The seeker wondered if they were sparked as combiners or if the Autobot Science Division had something to do with it…

Snapping himself out of his depressive musings as the twins nodded their helms in confirmation, the maroon flyer hopped down from his perch and landed in front of the troublemakers. He crossed his arms over his chassis and leaned down to better address the two. “Interesting,” he said. “Now that _I_ am here, I shall take you two flying in the near future.” The jet placed a servo on his chest, puffing up with more pride. “But for now, I shall teach you the importance of seeker culture that every flyer should know, Autobot or not.” Whether it be seeker code, his protectiveness over his own kind, or that he felt he needed to do right by the archivist suddenly back within his reach, he no longer felt willing to abandon theses younglings. 

Jetfire and Jetstorm grew increasingly excited with every word coming out of Starscreams vocalizer. The looks of awe on their faceplate exposed how young and curious they truly were. The Decepticon flyer then sat down on the cave floor, crossing his legs.

“Tell me,” he said, ready to start his impromptu lesson. “What do you two know of trines?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alt title: Optimus "im so gay" Prime and scream fist fights sentinel for rights to the mischief children


	17. NOTE

Sorry everyone!!! I know its been a while, but I’m actually gonna be gone for a good month and a half on an internship. Of course there won’t be any updates until I get back:( 

Sorry again for the chapter tease, but I wanted to let y’all know! I will occasionally be browsing my tumblr so if you have questions or wanna chat, hit me up @sp-aceace

Thanks!


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